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
As all hell breaks loose during their first shift on the streets of New York, a real partnership is forged.
—
Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
When teenage Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) arrives to babysit the couple’s young daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace), while the Warrens are out of town, all hell breaks loose.
—Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
And that, of course, is when all hell breaks loose, as Hutch learns that the town is the center of operations for female crime boss Lendina (gleefully played by Sharon Stone).
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
But, when Theo comes back downstairs wearing the glossy blue-and-gold shirt, all hell breaks loose.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Within the park, a saboteur shuts down the computer systems, and all hell breaks loose.
—David Denby, Vulture, 3 July 2025
The town coroner determines her cause of death to be a shark attack and all hell breaks loose.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 20 June 2025
For the wrap up, all hell breaks loose with close degrees of separation between all the characters appearing in the five plays.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2025
When a beautiful stranger shows up and the daughter begins to fall in love with her, all hell breaks loose.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2025
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Ed Meza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
When teenage Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) arrives to babysit the couple’s young daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace), while the Warrens are out of town, all hell breaks loose.
—Kelly Martinez, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2025
And that, of course, is when all hell breaks loose, as Hutch learns that the town is the center of operations for female crime boss Lendina (gleefully played by Sharon Stone).
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
But, when Theo comes back downstairs wearing the glossy blue-and-gold shirt, all hell breaks loose.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Within the park, a saboteur shuts down the computer systems, and all hell breaks loose.
—David Denby, Vulture, 3 July 2025
The town coroner determines her cause of death to be a shark attack and all hell breaks loose.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 20 June 2025
For the wrap up, all hell breaks loose with close degrees of separation between all the characters appearing in the five plays.
—Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2025
When a beautiful stranger shows up and the daughter begins to fall in love with her, all hell breaks loose.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“All hell breaks loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all%20hell%20breaks%20loose. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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