Have a Lot on One's Plate.
English
idiom
To have many responsibilities or tasks to handle; to be very busy.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To have many responsibilities or tasks to handle; to be very busy.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To have many responsibilities or tasks to deal with at once.
When you have a lot on your plate, you are very busy and stretched thin with commitments.
It is used to explain why someone is overwhelmed or cannot take on anything extra.
"Stretched Too Thin"
—
Spread across too many tasks so that quality or focus suffers
"In Over Your Head"
—
Involved in something too difficult or complex to handle
"Have a Lot on One's Plate"
—
Having too many responsibilities or tasks to manage at once
Can you take ownership of the onboarding process starting next week?
I'd like to help, but I already have a lot on my plate — can we revisit in a month?
You seem stressed — is everything okay?
Honestly, I just have a lot on my plate right now between work and family stuff.
I've been meaning to call my parents but keep putting it off.
It's okay — you have a lot on your plate. They'll understand.
