all hell breaks loose
idiom
informal
—used to describe what happens when violent, destructive, and confused activity suddenly begins
I heard people shouting at each other, and suddenly all hell broke loose.
Examples of all hell breaks loose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When Douglas is accused on social media of making a sexist joke at a wedding, all hell breaks loose.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Dec. 2024
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On Recap: The Scorpio Curse When one trial couple hits it off a little too well in this partner swap, all hell breaks loose.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
But all hell breaks loose when his disapproving parents sic their henchmen on the couple.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Until a series of tragedies turn the family’s life upside down and all hell breaks loose—seemingly literally.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2024
Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge Soon, all hell breaks loose due to your sole enemy: The Spotlight, a more cartoonish cross between Pyramid Head and the Boys of Silence from BioShock Infinite, who stalks you in classrooms and hallways.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Before the jury can finish reading his sentence, though, all hell breaks loose: a car bomb destroys much of the courthouse wall, killing and injuring many inside.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Her disapproving future mother-in-law has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season but all hell breaks loose when a body turns up on the beach and everyone is suddenly a suspect.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
The tarot card reading is reluctantly led by Harriet Slater’s Haley, who, like Halberg, is a Minnesota native, and shortly after the friend group returns to their Boston-area university, all hell breaks loose as each individual reading comes true in lethal fashion.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Dec. 2024
The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On Recap: The Scorpio Curse When one trial couple hits it off a little too well in this partner swap, all hell breaks loose.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024
But all hell breaks loose when his disapproving parents sic their henchmen on the couple.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Until a series of tragedies turn the family’s life upside down and all hell breaks loose—seemingly literally.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2024
Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge Soon, all hell breaks loose due to your sole enemy: The Spotlight, a more cartoonish cross between Pyramid Head and the Boys of Silence from BioShock Infinite, who stalks you in classrooms and hallways.
—Matt Gardner, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Before the jury can finish reading his sentence, though, all hell breaks loose: a car bomb destroys much of the courthouse wall, killing and injuring many inside.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Her disapproving future mother-in-law has spared no expense in planning what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season but all hell breaks loose when a body turns up on the beach and everyone is suddenly a suspect.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
The tarot card reading is reluctantly led by Harriet Slater’s Haley, who, like Halberg, is a Minnesota native, and shortly after the friend group returns to their Boston-area university, all hell breaks loose as each individual reading comes true in lethal fashion.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 May 2024
Dictionary Entries Near all hell breaks loose
Cite this Entry
“All hell breaks loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all%20hell%20breaks%20loose. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share