go ballistic

Idioms  

1. Become extremely upset or angry, as in Dad will go ballistic when he sees you dented the new car. This expression, a variation on go berserk, originally alluded to a guided missile going out of control. [Slang; mid-1980s]

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Example Sentences

Then, it was Hopkins turn to go ballistic on the bench.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024

Something small, like a guy blows a horn at me, and man, my insides go ballistic.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2022

Plenty of hospitals and physician groups would go ballistic if the axe actually fell, but in the grand scheme of things, it probably wouldn’t lead to a lot of human suffering or dysfunction.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2021

"Some parents would go ballistic, but as a foster parent, I thought, 'What's this all about?'"

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2020

I feel if I don’t get outside immediately, I’ll just go ballistic, but I’m still in Special Defense when I’m waylaid by Haymitch.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• freak out
• go off
• lose it