Meaning
“Hit the roof” is an informal idiom meaning to become extremely angry or upset suddenly. It describes a strong outburst of anger, often in reaction to bad news or something shocking.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Phrasal verb (idiomatic expression)
- Usage pattern: subject + hit the roof
- Typically used in informal spoken English.
- It can also appear in the past tense: hit the roof (same form).
Example structures:
- He hit the roof when he heard the news.
- She’ll hit the roof if you’re late again.
Common Phrases
- make someone hit the roof
- nearly hit the roof
- about to hit the roof
Collocations
- Verbs: make, cause, nearly, suddenly
- Nouns (subjects): boss, parents, teacher, customer
- Adverbs: almost, nearly, suddenly, instantly
Examples
- My dad hit the roof when I crashed his car.
- She nearly hit the roof when she saw the electricity bill.
- The manager hit the roof after hearing about the mistake.
- If you’re late again, your teacher will hit the roof.
- He hit the roof when he discovered someone had stolen his bike.
- They hit the roof at the news of the delay.
- Mom hit the roof when she found out we skipped class.
Synonyms or Related
- Blow one’s top
- Go through the roof (angry sense)
- Lose one’s temper
- Explode
- Flip out
Antonym
- Stay calm
- Keep one’s cool
- Remain composed