Meanings
- When finding oneself in a troubling situation, one should first make sure one is not making the situation worse by one's own actions before addressing all other causes.
Synonyms: when you are in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging, when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbWhen finding oneself in a troubling situation, one should first make sure one is not making the situation worse by one's own actions before addressing all other causes.
Cite this entry
if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20you%20find%20yourself%20in%20a%20hole%2C%20the%20first%20thing%20to%20do%20is%20stop%20digging
“if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20you%20find%20yourself%20in%20a%20hole%2C%20the%20first%20thing%20to%20do%20is%20stop%20digging. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20you%20find%20yourself%20in%20a%20hole%2C%20the%20first%20thing%20to%20do%20is%20stop%20digging.
Source: if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.