Meaning & use
going through hell
Last updated
UK/ˌɡəʊɪŋ θruː ˈhel/
US/ˌɡoʊɪŋ θruː ˈhel/
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalfigurative
Experiencing a very difficult, painful, or unpleasant period of time.
Grammar: Usually used after be or go: 'She's going through hell' or 'I went through hell.'
Patterns
- be going through hell
- go through hell
- put someone through hell
She's been going through hell since her father died.
He went through hell during his divorce.
They put their parents through hell with worry.
Common combinations
- go through hell
- I went through hell trying to get a visa.
- put someone through hell
- The illness put the whole family through hell.
- be going through hell
- You can tell he's going through hell right now.
- like hell
- My back hurts like hell.
Synonyms and how they differ
- have a hard time
- This is more neutral and can be used in formal writing; 'going through hell' is stronger and informal.
- suffer
- Suffer focuses on the pain itself, while 'going through hell' emphasizes the whole difficult experience.
Opposites
have it easy
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed order is 'going through hell'; the other options mix up the words or change the meaning.
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