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

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

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2022

Here’s a vision that would send shudders to Vashon Island residents, who are just fine keeping their paradise unreachable and go ballistic at any discussion of a bridge to the mainland.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2021

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

When they see that I’m not going to go ballistic on them, they finally start to laugh as well—a little.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• freak out
• go off
• lose it