go ballistic
idiom
informal
1
: to become very angry
Dad went ballistic when he saw the dent in his car.
2
US
: to become very excited
The crowd was going ballistic as the runner took the lead.
Examples of go ballistic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But her two siblings, who had not lifted a finger to help during their mother’s last illness, went ballistic.
—
Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
When everything goes ballistic, the film adopts a pace similar to the rollercoaster Italian ghost films of the 1980s.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2024
Black wasn’t the only one from the Rockies’ side who went ballistic.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 18 June 2024
Next to their front door hangs a heavy wind chime that goes ballistic during the Santa Anas.
—Edan Lepucki, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
The women in the audience went ballistic, Benson recalled, with some storming the stage and calling the performer a pig.
—Matthew Odam, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
Rockies right-fielder Jake Cave went ballistic, too, and had to be restrained from going after Barksdale.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 18 June 2024
Baldwin went ballistic when Santos snapped him outside the Worth St. office after Baldwin and now wife Hilaria Thomas picked up their license in lower Manhattan.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
Anna goes ballistic on her mother, who hands it right back to her daughter.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2024
Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
When everything goes ballistic, the film adopts a pace similar to the rollercoaster Italian ghost films of the 1980s.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2024
Black wasn’t the only one from the Rockies’ side who went ballistic.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 18 June 2024
Next to their front door hangs a heavy wind chime that goes ballistic during the Santa Anas.
—Edan Lepucki, The Atlantic, 12 July 2024
The women in the audience went ballistic, Benson recalled, with some storming the stage and calling the performer a pig.
—Matthew Odam, USA TODAY, 27 June 2024
Rockies right-fielder Jake Cave went ballistic, too, and had to be restrained from going after Barksdale.
—Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 18 June 2024
Baldwin went ballistic when Santos snapped him outside the Worth St. office after Baldwin and now wife Hilaria Thomas picked up their license in lower Manhattan.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
Anna goes ballistic on her mother, who hands it right back to her daughter.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'go ballistic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Go ballistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20ballistic. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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