Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to lose one's temper

to lose one's temper

2 3.7
To suddenly become very angry and not be able to control yourself
  • idiom
translation icon : perder los estribos
  • Look, I'm sorry I lost my temper.
  • never lost one's temper
  • times when one lost one's temper

Examples

Synonyms

to lose it
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
289 7.5

Suddenly stop controlling your feelings and become very angry or upset

is a neutral form focusing on sudden emotional loss
to flip
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
143 7.5

To suddenly become very angry, excited, or surprised

is focused specifically on sudden angry loss of control only
to go berserk
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
27 7.7

To become very angry and act out of control

is sudden uncontrolled anger usually without violent actions
to go ballistic
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
22 7.5

Suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger but may imply slightly less violence
to throw a tantrum
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
18 4.4

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

is similar but often suggests childish or theatrical behavior
to blow up
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
16 4.7

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

shows sudden anger but without focusing on loudness
to have a fit
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
16 5.3

To suddenly become very angry or upset and show it strongly

is similar but can be less theatrical in display
to throw a fit
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
12 6.1

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

shares sudden uncontrolled reaction but often less dramatic
to fly off the handle
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
11 6.8

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden uncontrolled anger without idiomatic imagery
to fly off
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
7 5.3

To suddenly get very angry without warning

focuses on rapid loss of control rather than idiom use
to boil over
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
7 4.8

To suddenly lose control and show strong anger

is the same sudden emotion but stresses inability to contain it
to hit the roof
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
4 6.7

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger but may be slightly less intense
to combust
vsto lose one's temper
4 8.2

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is sudden uncontrolled anger but uses less figurative language
to hit the ceiling
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
3 6.8

To suddenly get very angry

is sudden anger without stressing dramatic peak
to blow one's stack
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
2 8.6

Suddenly get very angry and show it

is sudden anger but less about loud intensity
to blow a fuse
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
1 7.4

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden anger without the explosive image
to flip your lid
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
1 8.6

To suddenly become very angry and lose control

matches sudden uncontrolled anger but uses slang imagery
to flip shit
vsto lose one's temper
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To suddenly become very angry

covers abrupt loss of control but is vulgar in tone
to go off on one
vsto lose one's temper
  • UK
1 9.9

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

matches sudden loss of control but often briefer
to blow one's top
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
8.0

To suddenly become very angry

is sudden loss of control without the eruption image
to flip one's lid
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
9.1

To become suddenly very angry and lose control

is similar but less vulgar or crude in tone
to lose one's shit
vsto lose one's temper
  • Offensive
9.9

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

expresses similar loss of control but is more polite
to throw a wobbly
vsto lose one's temper
  • UK
9.9

To become suddenly very angry and upset in a dramatic way

is similar but may be less theatrical or childish in tone
to flip the bitch switch
vsto lose one's temper
  • Offensive
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and behave in a mean way

is sudden anger focused more on emotion than aggression
to flip one's wig
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
9.9

To suddenly become very angry and lose control of yourself

matches sudden loss of control but uses casual slang
to have kittens
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
8.8

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

is sudden anger but usually less about anxiety or exaggeration
to lose one's cool
vsto lose one's temper
  • Informal
5.9

To suddenly become very angry and fail to control your feelings

is sudden anger but highlights stress as the trigger

Antonyms

to keep one's temper
1 4.4

Stay calm and not get angry in a difficult situation

How Angry

to fly off
  • Informal
7 5.3
to lose one's temper
2 3.7
to lose one's cool
  • Informal
5.9

Surface Forms

lose one's temper infinitive
losing one's temper present participle
loses one's temper third person singular
lost one's temper past
lost one's temper past participle

Morphology

lose + one's + temper

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'lose' (to no longer have or control) with 'temper' (a burst of anger); the possessive 'one's' simply marks whose temper is lost. This compositional pattern is common and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will very likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Lose one's temper comes from the simple image of temper as a person's calm or control, something you hold inside; if you 'lose' it, you drop that calm and can no longer keep control. That's why the phrase means 'to suddenly become very angry and unable to control yourself'.