Anger is a powerful emotion, and the English language is full of colorful idioms for anger to express it. Whether you’re boiling with rage or just a little irritated, these idioms for anger will help you sound more natural and expressive in your conversations.
30 idioms for anger 😡
✅ 1. Blow a fuse
Meaning: To suddenly become very angry.
Sentence: My dad blew a fuse when he saw the broken window of my room.
✅ 2. See red
Meaning: To become extremely angry.
Sentence: She saw red when someone insulted her child.
✅ 3. Fly off the handle
Meaning: To lose your temper quickly.
Sentence: He flies off the handle whenever things don’t go his way.
✅ 4. Hit the roof
Meaning: To become very angry suddenly.
Sentence: Mom hit the roof when I failed my math test.
✅ 5. Go ballistic
Meaning: To explode with anger.
Sentence: The coach went ballistic after the team lost again.
✅ 6. Hot under the collar
Meaning: Angry or upset.
Sentence: He gets hot under the collar when you mention politics.
✅ 7. Bite someone’s head off
Meaning: To speak angrily at someone without reason.
Sentence: Don’t bite my head off—I was just asking a question.
✅ 8. Lose your cool
Meaning: To become angry or upset.
Sentence: She lost her cool after being interrupted again and again.
✅ 9. Have a short fuse
Meaning: Get angry very easily.
Sentence: Be careful—he has a short fuse.
✅ 10. Go off the deep end
Meaning: To become very angry or irrational.
Sentence: He went off the deep end when he found out the truth.
✅ 11. Get bent out of shape
Meaning: To get unnecessarily angry.
Sentence: She got bent out of shape over a small mistake.
✅ 12. Be up in arms
Meaning: Be very angry and protesting.
Sentence: The residents are up in arms about the new tax.
✅ 13. Fit to be tied
Meaning: Extremely angry.
Sentence: Dad was fit to be tied when I crashed the car.
✅ 14. Blow one’s top
Meaning: Suddenly lose control due to anger.
Sentence: He blew his top when the deal fell through.
✅ 15. Get your knickers in a twist (British)
Meaning: Become upset or annoyed.
Sentence: Don’t get your knickers in a twist over something so small.
✅ 16. Go through the roof
Meaning: Become very angry.
Sentence: Her anger went through the roof after the delay.
✅ 17. Be foaming at the mouth
Meaning: Extremely angry.
Sentence: He was foaming at the mouth after hearing the news.
✅ 18. Hot-headed
Meaning: Quick to anger.
Sentence: He’s too hot-headed to handle criticism well.
✅ 19. See stars
Meaning: To feel rage so strong it clouds your thinking.
Sentence: I was seeing stars when I realized they cheated me.
✅ 20. At the end of your rope
Meaning: Losing patience.
Sentence: I’m at the end of my rope with these delays.
✅ 21. Make your blood boil
Meaning: Cause extreme anger.
Sentence: His attitude makes my blood boil.
✅ 22. Blow steam
Meaning: Express anger or frustration.
Sentence: Let him blow off some steam before talking to him.
✅ 23. Be mad as a hornet
Meaning: Very angry.
Sentence: She was mad as a hornet after the argument.
✅ 24. Barking mad (British)
Meaning: Extremely angry or irrational.
Sentence: He went barking mad over the parking ticket.
✅ 25. In a rage
Meaning: Full of uncontrollable anger.
Sentence: He drove away in a rage.
✅ 26. Like a bear with a sore head
Meaning: Very grumpy and aggressive.
Sentence: Stay away—he’s like a bear with a sore head this morning.
✅ 27. Jump down someone’s throat
Meaning: Respond angrily or sharply.
Sentence: He jumped down my throat for being late.
✅ 28. Spit nails
Meaning: Extremely angry and aggressive.
Sentence: She was spitting nails when she saw the mess.
✅ 29. Fuming
Meaning: Silently but obviously very angry.
Sentence: He sat there fuming with rage.
✅ 30. In a huff
Meaning: Annoyed or angry.
Sentence: She left the room in a huff.
Prectice Sentence ( idioms for anger )
- He __ when he heard the bad news.
- My sister __ if you touch her phone.
- I was __ after that unfair treatment.
- The manager __ when the deal failed.
- She was __ during the whole meeting.
Answer
- blew a fuse
- flies off the handle
- seeing red
- went ballistic
- fuming
conclusion
Learning idioms about anger can help you express yourself more naturally in English—whether you’re writing a story or just venting to a friend. Practice using 2–3 idioms each day to boost your spoken English.
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