break loose

Idioms  

1. Escape from restraint, as in The boat broke loose from its moorings, or He finally broke loose from the school of abstract expressionism. This expression also appears in all hell breaks loose, which indicates a state of fury or chaos, as in When Dad finds out you broke his watch, all hell will break loose, or When the children saw the dead pigeon in the hall, all hell broke loose. [Early 1400s]

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Example Sentences

Down front, Glenn swiped at the ceiling with the broom, and the mud daubers’ nest broke loose from the rafter and fell into his hands.

From Literature

Somebody was on a large cake of ice and it broke loose and headed out to sea.

From Literature

A piece of ice no larger than a hundred strides in every direction had broken loose.

From Literature

He realized that even if Rashawn had made it across, the asphalt would have broken loose and she would have still ended up in the water.

From Literature

The first landslides and Spirit Lake Fifteen seconds after the earthquake, the bulge on the north face of Mount St. Helens broke loose and began to slide down the mountain.

From Literature

Related Words

• casual
• impromptu
• instinctive
• offhand
• simple
• unplanned
• voluntary