as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
shoreline residents are finding themselves helplessly falling down a rabbit hole in their Sisyphean efforts to halt beach erosion
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rabbit hole
That recommendation algorithm, as my reporting and other people’s reporting has shown over the years, brings people into—people call it the rabbit hole, right?
—
David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
For months, 19 Stagecraft seventh and eighth graders built each intricate set wall, the caterpillar platform, the Queen of Heart’s staircase, jumbo mushrooms on wheels, and even an 11-foot tree with a large rabbit hole inside of it.
—Rancho Santa Fe Review, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
There are even entire websites devoted to gorgeous vintage Christmas ornaments, many of them hand-painted—enjoy that rabbit hole.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2025
The Chair Company is an HBO series about a project manager who spirals down a conspiracy rabbit hole after an embarrassing incident at work.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rabbit hole
David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
For months, 19 Stagecraft seventh and eighth graders built each intricate set wall, the caterpillar platform, the Queen of Heart’s staircase, jumbo mushrooms on wheels, and even an 11-foot tree with a large rabbit hole inside of it.
—Rancho Santa Fe Review, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
There are even entire websites devoted to gorgeous vintage Christmas ornaments, many of them hand-painted—enjoy that rabbit hole.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2025
The Chair Company is an HBO series about a project manager who spirals down a conspiracy rabbit hole after an embarrassing incident at work.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rabbit hole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rabbit hole
Noun
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Pay attention, however, and the connection between Mary and Boo becomes more tender as their dilemma deepens, as does the relationship between Mary and her well-meaning, if totally embarrassing, mom.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
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This feels like an apt dilemma to invoke while critiquing a book about an editor.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This year, however, my predicament has grown more urgent.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
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Owner’s Jail, to put it nicely, is the predicament of NFL fans whose team is owned by someone whose stewardship does not inspire great optimism.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The resort also has a gorgeous, airy gym with those same views of the volcano, tennis and pickle-ball courts, and solid ocean programming that includes sunrise paddles in the resort’s outrigger canoe, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and diving.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
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Serve it with or without a bun plus your favorite toppings like pickles, slaw, and extra sauce.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This week’s forecast, appropriately enough, calls for sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s for the 72-hole event.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Across the street, crime scene investigators took photos of a silver Chevy car, which had at least one bullet hole in its front windshield.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The best way to avoid this particular bind?—
Danielle Higley,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
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Fans criticized the tour announcement on social media, noting the heavy New York concentration leaves most American concertgoers in a financial bind.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There must be someone in that backbiting swamp that is Hollywood who isn’t a Brooks fan, but such a person is not to be found here.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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The crab-eating frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) lives in mangroves, coastal swamps and estuaries across Southeast Asia.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Snack on a Umm Ali pastry while sipping a karak chai (the local spiced tea, a mix of black tea, cardamom and condensed milk found on every street corner).—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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But no one outside of the most credulous corners of the media are buying it.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rabbit hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rabbit%20hole. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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