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Glite Dictionary
to blow one's stack

to blow one's stack

2 8.6
Suddenly get very angry and show it
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : perder los estribos
  • - He's gonna blow his stack, kid.

Examples

  • He tried to remain calm, but when the news broke, he couldn't help but blow his stack.

  • "He would blow his stack if he were to be briefed on what was going on."

    The Report (2019)

  • Tonight, he was being nice; any other time he would have blown his stack and started throwing things around the room.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Even when he blew his stack, no swearin' or nothin'.

    To Sir, with Love (1967)

  • That said, the sign defacement, coming as it did at a time when Scott was (a) "enjoying" quite a bit of media attention for blowing his stack at an anti-Obamacare questioner and (b) hiding from his constituents during the August recess, was mighty politically convenient for Scott.

    Blog text (7)

  • He knew he would blow his stack if his team kept missing deadlines.

  • After hearing the unfair criticism, she finally blew her stack and confronted her boss.

Synonyms

to explode
vsto blow one's stack
187 3.5

To suddenly show a strong feeling, often anger

is focused only on sudden extreme anger rather than any emotion
to flip
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
143 7.5

To suddenly become very angry, excited, or surprised

is specific to sudden extreme anger rather than varied emotional loss
to flip out
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
49 7.2

To suddenly lose control and become very angry or upset

is focused specifically on sudden extreme anger rather than mixed emotions
to go ballistic
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
22 7.5

Suddenly become very angry

is the same sudden anger but phrased with the key idiom
to throw a tantrum
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
18 4.4

To show sudden strong anger or upset, often like a child

is sudden adult temper loss rather than a childlike theatrical display
to blow up
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
16 4.7

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

is the same sudden anger but expressed with a different idiom
to have a fit
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
16 5.3

To suddenly become very angry or upset and show it strongly

is sudden anger but often used in a different idiomatic form
to throw a fit
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
12 6.1

To suddenly become very angry or upset in a loud, obvious way

is sudden anger but expressed with a different idiomatic phrasing
to fly off the handle
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
11 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

is the same sudden anger but expressed with a different idiom
to see red
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
10 6.8

To become very angry suddenly

is the same sudden anger but expressed with the key idiom
to fly off
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
7 5.3

To suddenly get very angry without warning

is focused on sudden extreme anger rather than general upset
to boil over
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
7 4.8

To suddenly lose control and show strong anger

is sudden anger focused on quick explosive outburst rather than buildup
to froth at the mouth
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
5 8.6

To be extremely angry and unable to control oneself

is sudden extreme anger but not necessarily physically uncontrollable
to hit the roof
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
4 6.7

To suddenly become very angry

is the same sudden anger but expressed with a different idiom
to combust
vsto blow one's stack
4 8.2

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is focused specifically on sudden intense anger rather than general eruption
to hit the ceiling
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
3 6.8

To suddenly get very angry

is the same sudden anger but expressed with a different idiom
to lose one's temper
vsto blow one's stack
2 3.7

To suddenly become very angry and not be able to control yourself

is the same sudden anger but phrased with the key idiom
to go batshit
vsto blow one's stack
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To become very angry and act in a wild, out of control way

is sudden anger without the added sense of craziness or excitement
to raise the roof
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
1 8.0

Get very angry and shout loudly

is the same anger but not necessarily loud or public
to blow a fuse
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
1 7.4

To suddenly become very angry

is the same sudden anger but expressed with a different idiom
to pop off
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
1 8.1

To suddenly say something angry without warning

is sudden anger but it need not include a verbal outburst
to flip your lid
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
1 8.6

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

is the same sudden anger but uses a different idiom
to flip shit
vsto blow one's stack
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To suddenly become very angry

is the same sudden anger but in less coarse wording
to go off on one
vsto blow one's stack
  • UK
1 9.9

To suddenly get very angry and speak loudly for a long time

is sudden short temper loss rather than a long angry speech
to blow one's top
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
8.0

To suddenly become very angry

is the same sudden anger but expressed with a different idiom
to lose one's cool
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
5.9

To suddenly become very angry and fail to control your feelings

is a stronger sudden extreme anger causing total loss of control
to lose one's shit
vsto blow one's stack
  • Offensive
9.9

To suddenly become very angry or upset in a way you cannot control

is the same sudden anger but in less offensive language
to flip one's lid
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
9.1

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is the same sudden anger but uses a different idiom
to flip one's wig
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself

is the same sudden anger but phrased with the key idiom
to throw a wobbly
vsto blow one's stack
  • UK
9.9

To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way

is sudden anger but usually expressed with a different idiom
to throw a snit
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
8.7

To suddenly become very angry or upset and act childishly

is sudden anger but not always childish in tone
to have kittens
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
8.8

Become very upset or angry in a way that is too strong

is focused narrowly on sudden extreme anger rather than anxiety
to radge over
vsto blow one's stack
  • UK
9.9

Get very angry or upset about small things

is sudden anger but not regionally marked or often minor-triggered
to radge
vsto blow one's stack
  • UK
9.9

To become very angry or upset

is sudden anger not tied to informal regional usage
to hit the bitch switch
vsto blow one's stack
  • Offensive
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and act aggressive

is sudden anger focused on temper loss rather than planned aggression
to flip the bitch switch
vsto blow one's stack
  • Offensive
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and behave in a mean way

is sudden anger causing temper loss rather than deliberate hostility
to burst a blood vessel
vsto blow one's stack
  • Informal
6.9

To become very angry or upset in a way people notice

is sudden anger but the linked form stresses visible physical reaction

Antonyms

to keep a cool head
3 3.9

Stay calm and not get angry or excited in a difficult situation

How Angry

to go berserk
  • Informal
27 7.7
to blow one's stack
  • Informal
2 8.6
irritated
44 3.1
annoyed
77 1.0

Surface Forms

blow one's stack infinitive
blowing one's stack present participle
blows one's stack third person singular
blew one's stack past
blown one's stack past participle

Morphology

blow + one + stack

The sense 'to suddenly become extremely angry' cannot be reliably derived from the literal meanings of blow (to force out), one's (possessive) and stack (a pile); there is no straightforward compositional mapping from these parts to the idiomatic meaning. This is a colloquial, culture-specific idiom (parallel to 'blow one's top') so a B1 learner who knows the constituents but has not encountered the phrase would not predict its meaning.

Etymology

The idiom blow one's stack may come from old steam engines: the stack, the tall chimney, could blow off when too much steam built up, like a small explosion. That's why today we say someone 'blows their stack' when they suddenly become very angry or 'lose their temper'.