all hell breaks loose

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English

Pronunciation

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Phrase

all hell breaks loose (simple past all hell broke loose)

  1. (idiomatic) The situation becomes chaotic or characterized by conflict or rage.
    • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:
      Came not all hell broke loose?
    • 1992 August 19, “Beckel, Barnes and Rollins Discuss the Republican Convention”, in CBS Morning:
      I think it's kind of fun because, had Hillary Clinton spoken at the Democratic Convention, all hell would have broken loose.
    • 2023 November 26, Rory Carroll, Lisa O'Carroll, “‘Remember who we are’: riots, race, and the end of the ‘Irish welcome’”, in The Observer‎, →ISSN:
      It was a shocking attack, and within hours all hell had broken loose.

Usage notes

  • Both as a sentence and a clause this term allows all normal conjugated forms of the verb.

Translations

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