go ballistic

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Verb (idiomatic): To become extremely and uncontrollably angry; to fly into a violent rage.

Usage

This is an informal, figurative expression used to describe a sudden, intense outburst of anger. It often implies a loss of self-control, as if one's anger is explosive. It is typically used in spoken English and informal writing.

Examples
  • The manager went ballistic when he saw the report was full of errors.
  • My dad will go ballistic if he finds out I crashed the car.
  • She went ballistic after discovering her flight had been canceled.
Advanced Usage
  • The phrase can be used in various tenses: "goes ballistic" (present), "went ballistic" (past), "has gone ballistic" (present perfect).
  • It is often used in a hyperbolic or slightly humorous way to emphasize the severity of the reaction, even if the anger is somewhat expected.
Variants and Related Words
  • Ballistic (adjective): Relating to projectiles or their flight. In the idiom "go ballistic," the word is used metaphorically.
  • Fly off the handle (idiom): Another informal idiom meaning to lose one's temper suddenly.
Synonyms
  • Explode
  • Blow up
  • Flip one's lid
  • Hit the roof
  • See red
  • Lose one's temper
Antonyms
  • Calm down
  • Keep one's cool
  • Remain composed
Related Idioms
  • Go berserk: To become wild and violent, not exclusively due to anger (can also mean to act in a frenzied way).
  • Go postal: (Slang, primarily US) To become extremely and violently angry, derived from incidents involving postal service workers. This term is considered more offensive than "go ballistic."
Verb
  1. get very angry and fly into a rage
    • The professor combusted when the student didn't know the answer to a very elementary question
    • Spam makes me go ballistic