go ballistic
English
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go ballistic
Where it comes from
The idiomatic usage derives from the second-generation of jet fighters, armed with guided missiles, in the late 1950s into the 1960s, with the informal military sense of fully-powered non-ballistic missiles going ballistic when losing control and assuming a free-fall trajectory, sense 3. But in subsequent usage the term has often become associated with the intentionally ballistic, suborbital trajectories of long-range, typically nuclear-armed missiles, sense 2.
verb goes ballistic · going ballistic · went ballistic · gone ballistic
- To become very angry and irrational. She'd go ballistic, possibly even fling a fireball or two, if she knew Selene had him in her apartment.
- To travel to its target partly via unpowered ballistic or quasi-ballistic flight, usually following burnout of its rocket motor (of a usually rocket-powered, predominantly non-glide projectile or aerial vehicle, such as a ballistic missile). SRAM is a very flexible weapon. It has a ballistic trajectory. It can be launched and go ballistic into its target for a long range... and it can go short range at very low levels.
- To travel on an unguided or ballistic trajectory, having lost power, control or guidance (of a powered, usually guided missile or other aerial vehicle). I... fired two AIM-7s in a ripple. One AIM-7 went ballistic. The other guided but passed behind the MIG and did not detonate. Knowing that I was then too close for further AIM-7 firing...
Translations
Every language
verb become very angry
| Português | perder as estribeiras |
|---|---|
| Français | devenir fou furieux, partir en vrille, péter une pile, craquer son slip |
| Deutsch | in die Luft gehen |
Talk about this word "go ballistic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/go%20ballistic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. go ballistic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/go%20ballistic "go ballistic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/go%20ballistic.Cite this
@misc{go_ballistic_2026,
title = {go ballistic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/go%20ballistic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
