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Glite Dictionary
to lose it

to lose it

289 7.5
Suddenly stop controlling your feelings and become very angry or upset
  • phrasal verb
  • /luːz ɪt/
  • Informal
translation icon : perder los nervios
  • She was so overwhelmed by the news that she nearly lost it in front of everyone.

And these girls lose it, Lose their minds.

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Examples

  • Hot tears are in my eyes, and I'm afraid I'm going to lose it.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • And then if you lose it, just move on.

    Ear Biscuits

  • Join us and lose it before we take it from you.

    Reign of Chaos (2022)

  • I'm about to just lose it anyway.

  • Thelma gets a grip on herself for a moment, then loses it as the waitress goes away.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • During the heated argument, he finally lost it and shouted at his friend.

  • After waiting for hours, I started to lose it and demanded an explanation.

Synonyms

to fall apart
vsto lose it
  • Informal
193 4.2

To lose control of your feelings because of strong stress or sadness

is focused on sudden loss in everyday situations rather than deep trauma
to snap
vsto lose it
151 4.0

Say something quickly and angrily after losing control

is broader, covering any sudden loss of emotional control not only speech
to flip
vsto lose it
  • Informal
143 7.5

To suddenly become very angry, excited, or surprised

focuses more narrowly on sudden anger or upset as the loss
to break down
vsto lose it
111 3.9

To lose control of your feelings and cry or collapse

is about sudden loss of control in anger or upset, not only collapse
to flip out
vsto lose it
  • Informal
49 7.2

To suddenly lose control and become very angry or upset

matches this but emphasizes suddenness across several strong emotions
to have a fit
vsto lose it
  • Informal
16 5.3

To suddenly become very angry or upset and show it strongly

is similar but can also describe less dramatic loss of control
to go off the deep end
vsto lose it
  • Informal
15 8.1

Suddenly act in a very emotional and out of control way

is similar but tends to be used for sudden anger or upset specifically
to throw a fit
vsto lose it
  • Informal
12 6.1

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

matches this drama but may cover milder sudden emotional loss
to fly off the handle
vsto lose it
  • Informal
11 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

is similar but can include strong upset as well as anger
to wig out
vsto lose it
  • Informal
11 9.2

React with strong fear or excitement and lose control

is focused more on sudden anger or upset than varied extremes
to forget oneself
vsto lose it
10 7.0

Act without control because of strong feelings

is similar but highlights sudden angry or upset loss specifically
to come undone
vsto lose it
  • Informal
9 5.3

To begin to fail, fall apart, or lose control

is more about a sudden brief loss of control, not lasting collapse
to fly off
vsto lose it
  • Informal
7 5.3

To suddenly get very angry without warning

is similar but is used across both anger and other strong feelings
to boil over
vsto lose it
  • Informal
7 4.8

To suddenly lose control and show strong anger

is similar but may include sudden upset without active expression
to lose one's temper
vsto lose it
2 3.7

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

is broader, applying to sudden loss of control in anger or upset
to come unhinged
vsto lose it
  • Informal
2 8.2

To lose control of your feelings and act very upset

is similar but usually signals temporary sudden anger or upset rather than breakdown
to blow one's stack
vsto lose it
  • Informal
2 8.6

Suddenly get very angry and show it

is comparable but may also mean sudden upset not only anger
to flip your lid
vsto lose it
  • Informal
1 8.6

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

is equivalent in sudden loss but can be less slangy or vulgar
to lose one's head
vsto lose it
  • Informal
1 6.4

To become very upset and unable to think clearly

is centered on losing emotional control rapidly, especially anger or upset
to trip out
vsto lose it
  • Informal
1 8.6

Become very upset or excited and act confused suddenly

is concentrated on sudden anger or upset rather than broad emotional states
to lose one's mind
vsto lose it
  • Informal
1 6.7

Become very anxious, confused, or upset and act in a way that does not make sense

is focused on a sudden loss of emotional control, often anger or upset
to lose one's cookies
vsto lose it
  • Informal
1 9.9

To become very upset or frightened

is centered on sudden anger or upset rather than fright alone
to blow one's top
vsto lose it
  • Informal
8.0

To suddenly become very angry

is like this but can cover other sudden strong emotions too
to go into a tizzy
vsto lose it
  • Informal
8.3

Get very upset and confused quickly

is more about sudden strong emotion specifically focused on anger or upset
to flip one's wig
vsto lose it
  • Informal
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself

is similar but can be less extreme or less loud in reaction
to lose the run of oneself
vsto lose it
  • Archaic
9.9

Act in a confused or uncontrolled way because of strong emotion

is more narrowly about sudden emotional loss, especially anger or upset
to drop one's bundle
vsto lose it
  • UK
9.9

To suddenly lose control of your feelings because you feel overwhelmed

is more about sudden short-term loss of control, often anger
to throw a wobbly
vsto lose it
  • UK
9.9

To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way

matches this but can also describe less theatrical sudden emotional loss
to lose one's shit
vsto lose it
  • Offensive
9.9

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

is the same sudden loss but is less vulgar in tone
to lose one's cool
vsto lose it
  • Informal
5.9

To suddenly become very angry and fail to control your feelings

is similar but can cover a wider range of sudden strong emotions
to lose one's yarbles
vsto lose it
  • Archaic
9.9

To start behaving in a strange and out of control way

is more about a sudden emotional loss, often anger, not lasting instability

Antonyms

to keep one's cool
  • Informal
30 3.4

Stay calm and control your feelings when things are hard

How Calm

to keep one's cool
  • Informal
30 3.4
to lose it
  • Informal
289 7.5
to fly off
  • Informal
7 5.3

Surface Forms

lose it infinitive
losing it present participle
loses it third person singular
lost it past
lost it past participle

Morphology

lose + it

The verb 'lose' carries the core sense of losing something (including control), but the pronoun 'it' is non-specific and requires the learner to infer that 'it' refers to one's temper or self-control. This partial compositionality means the meaning is somewhat predictable from the parts but still relies on idiomatic/pragmatic inference, so it is not fully transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrasal verb lose it may come from a simple picture: imagine you lose a small thing called it—your calm or control—and it is suddenly gone. That's why lose it means 'to suddenly lose control of your emotions'.