Meaning & use
unleash a tirade
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
to suddenly make a long, angry speech criticizing someone or something.
Grammar: Used with an object: 'unleash a tirade against someone'. The verb 'unleash' suggests a sudden release of strong emotion.
Patterns
- unleash a tirade against someone
- unleash a tirade at someone
- unleash a tirade about something
- unleash a tirade on someone
The coach unleashed a tirade against the referee after the match.
She unleashed a tirade at her colleagues for missing the deadline.
The politician unleashed a tirade about the government's failures.
Common combinations
- unleash a tirade against
- He unleashed a tirade against the newspaper for its false story.
- unleash a tirade at
- The customer unleashed a tirade at the waiter over the cold food.
- unleash a tirade about
- She unleashed a tirade about the poor service she had received.
- unleash a tirade on
- The boss unleashed a tirade on the team for losing the contract.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rant
- Less formal; 'rant' can be a verb or noun and often suggests talking for a long time without stopping.
- diatribe
- Similar meaning but slightly more formal and often written, not spoken.
- outburst
- A sudden release of emotion, not necessarily a long speech.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: unleash a tirade or tirade?
unleash a tirade vs tirade
Do not confuse 'tirade' with 'tirade' being a single word; in this phrase, 'unleash' is the verb and 'tirade' is the noun object.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: The manager unleashed a tirade ___ the staff for their mistakes.
Choose one answer.
The usual pattern is 'unleash a tirade against someone'. 'For' would introduce the reason, not the target, so it does not fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unleash a tirade”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.