break loose

Idioms

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]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

break loose

Andreas Skov Olsen floated in a cross and all hell was about to break loose.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

As spring approaches, the sun warms the slopes and large ice blocks -- sometimes a meter long -- break loose.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2025

When the foundations of a civilization crack, all hell can break loose.

From Salon ● May 21, 2023

Davis could be injured again, and all hell could be about to break loose.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2023

Whenever she hugged me or put her arms around me, I would quickly break loose.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023