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Meaning & use

totally lose it

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌtəʊtəli ˈluːz ɪt/
US/ˌtoʊtəli ˈluːz ɪt/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformal

    To suddenly become very angry and stop controlling your feelings.

    Grammar: Used with a person as the subject; the object 'it' never changes.

    Patterns

    • someone totally loses it
    • someone totally lost it
    • someone is going to totally lose it

    When she saw the mess in the kitchen, she totally lost it and started shouting.

    Dad totally loses it every time someone parks in front of the gate.

    I'm warning you, don't tell him about the broken window or he'll totally lose it.

  2. phraseidiominformal

    To suddenly start laughing or crying so hard that you cannot control yourself.

    Grammar: Often followed by with + noun (with laughter, with joy) to say what caused it.

    Patterns

    • totally lose it with laughter
    • totally lose it in front of someone
    • someone totally lost it

    The video was so funny that we both totally lost it and couldn't stop giggling.

    She held herself together during the speech but totally lost it as soon as she got home.

    He totally loses it every time he watches that scene, even though he knows it's coming.

Common combinations

totally lose it with someone
He totally lost it with his brother over the borrowed car.
completely lose it
She completely lost it when the computer crashed again.
lose it over something
People lose it over the smallest things in traffic.
just lose it
I was so tired that I just lost it and cried.
about to lose it
After three hours of waiting, I was about to lose it.

Synonyms and how they differ

blow up
Also means to become suddenly angry, but it stresses the outward explosion of temper rather than losing self-control.
snap
Means to break down suddenly under pressure; it can suggest a quieter, more internal collapse than 'totally lose it'.
go ballistic
Stronger and more slangy; it usually means extreme anger and is best kept for very informal situations.

Opposites

stay calmkeep it together

Word family

lose verb
The base verb meaning to no longer have something.
lost adjective
Unable to find your way, or no longer having something.
loser noun
An informal, disapproving word for someone who often fails.

Commonly confused: totally lose it or loose it?

totally lose it vs loose it

'Loose' is an adjective meaning not tight, so 'loose it' is not a phrase; the verb you need here is 'lose' with one o.

Practice

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