Idioms & SlangIntermediate
In the weeds
PronunciationIN THUH WEEDZ
Definition
To be "in the weeds" means to be overly focused on minor technical details or complex minutiae, often losing sight of the main objective. It describes a state where someone is stuck on small problems instead of making progress on the broader goal.
Where you hear it
During project planning meetings, code reviews, or when a discussion is veering off-track into unnecessary complexity.
Examples
Let's stop getting in the weeds on the CSS colors and focus on the core feature logic.
I think we are getting too much in the weeds with this edge case; let's move on.
Common mistake
People sometimes mistake this for simply being "busy" or "hard at work." It specifically refers to being distracted by unimportant details that prevent you from seeing the big picture.