in deep

Idioms

Seriously involved; far advanced. For example, He was in deep with the other merchants and couldn't strike out on his own , or She used her credit cards for everything, and before long she was in deep .
in deep water . Also, in over one's head . In trouble, with more difficulties than one can manage, as in The business was in deep water after the president resigned , or I'm afraid Bill got in over his head . These metaphoric expressions transfer the difficulties of being submerged to other problems. The first appears in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Book of Psalms (68:13): “I am come into deep waters.” The second, which also can signify being involved with more than one can understand, dates from the 1600s. Also see over one's head .

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The pair came together with their team in deep trouble at 83-7 and put on 89, the highest eighth-wicket stand in the history of T20 internationals.

From Barron's

The Leadbeater bill is in deep trouble in the Lords.

From BBC

But the International Energy Agency has said that global investment in deep geothermal for electricity is growing rapidly – up 80% year-on-year since 2018 - in part, because of growing demands for electricity from tech giants.

From BBC

Upon reaching the far side of the river, there was Twitch and Major Puff, as well as Handsome and Magic in deep discussion.

From Literature

The lady stood looking down at the floor for several seconds as if she were in deep thought.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023