rabbit hole

[ rab-it hohl ]

noun

1. a tunnel made in the ground by a rabbit; a rabbit burrow.
2. Informal. a strange, disorienting, or frustrating situation or experience, typically one that is difficult to navigate: I have been down the rabbit hole of building a new home.

   I had a history of depression and occasionally fell down dark, deep rabbit holes from which only medication and therapy could pull me out.

   I have been down the rabbit hole of building a new home.

3. Informal. a time-consuming distraction of one's attention as happens when clicking through online links, following social media posts, or pursuing information:

   After diving down an internet rabbit hole and poring over treatments, risks, and so on, she felt even more panicked.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rabbit hole¹

First recorded in 1660–70; rabbit hole def 2 was first recorded in 1935–40, from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Example Sentences

You might cringe at the word hustle, but that doesn't mean you have to go down a rabbit hole of vapid brofluencers.

From Salon

He said researching autism had become "yet another rabbit hole I've disappeared down".

From BBC

Our TV critic went down the rabbit hole of restoration videos, which show a variety of items being expertly restored, and have the added bonus of being calming and relaxing viewing.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s time to get out of the rabbit hole and take an intermission.”

From Los Angeles Times

His defence lawyer Bob Elias said he was a "lonely, socially isolated" man who had "plunged down the rabbit hole to this sort of fantasy life and became completely engrossed in it".

From BBC