break loose

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Related Words

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