all hell broke loose
Everything went crazy
Chaos erupted suddenly and completely.
The phrase describes a moment when order collapses into pandemonium—a fight, a riot, shouting, things going wrong all at once: The referee made a bad call and all hell broke loose.
The image is of hell's demons escaping their confinement.
Often used for dramatic effect even when describing minor disruptions.
- uproarNoisy public disturbance
- bedlamState of wild disorder
- cataclysmViolent, large-scale disaster
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
mass hysteria · havoc · chaos · all bets are off · outburst · mayhem · went crazy · scream · turmoil · anarchy · confusion · shitstorm · clash · hysteria · frenzy · upheaval · out of control · commotion
all hell broke loosepeace and quiet
Freedom from disturbance
tranquility · serenity · nothing happened · stillness · normalcy
broke, loose, broken, breaks, loosen, loosely, loosened, loosening, loosens