all hell breaks loose
Everything goes haywire
A situation suddenly becomes chaotic, violent, or uncontrolled.
The phrase often describes a moment when order collapses: The protest was peaceful until police arrived, then all hell broke loose.
It can also describe less dramatic chaos: All hell breaks loose when the kids get home from school.
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- mass hysteriaShared irrational public fear
- conflictOpposition between parties
- sparks flySudden intense attraction
total chaos · turmoil · damage · hit the fan · pandemonium · disaster · anarchy · out of control · anger · bedlam · hysteria · scandal · shitstorm · powder keg · crisis · all bets are off · frenzy · shock
- chaos idiomspandemonium, madhouse, circus, bedlam, three-ring circus
all hell breaks loosepeace and quiet
Freedom from disturbance
serenity · stillness · smooth sailing · harmony · all is well
all hell breaks loosenothing happens
crickets · dead calm · uneventful · anticlimactic · flatline
break, breaks, breaking, breakage, breaker, loose, loosen, loosens, loosened