hit the ceiling

Cultural  

1. To become extremely angry: “When Corey found out someone had stolen his CD player, he really hit the ceiling.”

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hit the ceiling Idioms  

1. Also, hit the roof. Explode in anger, as in Jane hit the ceiling when she saw her grades, or Dad hit the roof when he didn't get his usual bonus. The first expression dates from the early 1900s; the second is a version of a 16th-century locution, up in the house roof or house-top, meaning “enraged.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hit the ceiling

Miller reportedly hit the ceiling, furious that arrests aren't widespread and indiscriminate.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2025

Once, as he was boiling eggs, they exploded and hit the ceiling.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024

His one obvious slip-up: A deep ball hit the ceiling in the indoor facility.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 23, 2023

Initial information suggests that humidity had triggered the landslide, which hit the ceiling of the shrine and caused it to collapse, the civil defence service said in a statement.

From Reuters ● Aug. 21, 2022

I hit the ceiling a few inches above me.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda