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

See Examples For:

go ballistic

At the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere in London this week, Hugh Jackman predicted: "This place is going to go ballistic on Sunday. England is going to win 3-1."

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2024

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

Like I said, Mom would go ballistic if she knew the stuff Grandmère did sometimes!

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

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Related Words

• freak out
• go off
• lose it

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