See go ballistic in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for go ballistic meaning in English (6.5kB)
{
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "goes ballistic",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "going ballistic",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "went ballistic",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "gone ballistic",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "go<goes,,went,gone> ballistic"
},
"expansion": "go ballistic (third-person singular simple present goes ballistic, present participle going ballistic, simple past went ballistic, past participle gone ballistic)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1964, Elle James and Pamela Kent, Enemy Lover",
"text": "She'd go ballistic, possibly even fling a fireball or two, if she knew Selene had him in her apartment."
},
{
"ref": "2011 Allen Gregory, \"Pilot\" (season 1, episode 1)",
"text": "Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Hey, sorry for going ballistic back there. I think the whole Julie-being-alive thing affected me more than I thought."
},
{
"text": "The guy went ballistic when I tried to tell him he couldn't return the socks if the package had been opened."
}
],
"glosses": [
"To become very angry and irrational."
],
"id": "en-go_ballistic-en-verb--1MDoSGP",
"links": [
[
"angry",
"angry"
],
[
"irrational",
"irrational"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To become very angry and irrational."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "96 2 2",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "rupnout nervy"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 2 2",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "bouchnout saze"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 2 2",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "devenir fou furieux"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 2 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "in die Luft gehen"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 2 2",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "perder as estribeiras"
},
{
"_dis1": "96 2 2",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "repnuty nervy",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "репнути нерви"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Aerospace",
"orig": "en:Aerospace",
"parents": [
"Aeronautics",
"Astronautics",
"Sciences",
"Space",
"Applied sciences",
"All topics",
"Nature",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "3 55 41",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 56 40",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Rocketry",
"orig": "en:Rocketry",
"parents": [
"Astronautics",
"Applied sciences",
"Space",
"Sciences",
"Nature",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1978, United States Senate, Part 8 of Fiscal year 1978 authorization for military procurement, research and development, and active duty, selected reserve, and civilian personnel strengths: hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, first session, on S. 1210",
"text": "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."
}
],
"glosses": [
"for a usually rocket-powered, predominantly non-glide projectile or aerial vehicle, such as a ballistic missile, to travel to its target partly via unpowered ballistic or quasi-ballistic flight, usually following burnout of its rocket motor"
],
"id": "en-go_ballistic-en-verb-UqFW1TDz",
"links": [
[
"aerospace",
"aerospace"
],
[
"rocket",
"rocket"
],
[
"powered",
"powered"
],
[
"glide",
"glide"
],
[
"projectile",
"projectile"
],
[
"aerial",
"aerial"
],
[
"vehicle",
"vehicle"
],
[
"ballistic missile",
"ballistic missile"
],
[
"unpowered",
"unpowered"
],
[
"ballistic",
"ballistic"
],
[
"burnout",
"burnout"
],
[
"rocket motor",
"rocket motor"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(aerospace) for a usually rocket-powered, predominantly non-glide projectile or aerial vehicle, such as a ballistic missile, to travel to its target partly via unpowered ballistic or quasi-ballistic flight, usually following burnout of its rocket motor"
],
"topics": [
"aerospace",
"business",
"engineering",
"natural-sciences",
"physical-sciences"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Military",
"orig": "en:Military",
"parents": [
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1976, Robert Frank Futrell, The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia-- aces and aerial victories, 1965-1973",
"text": "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..."
},
{
"ref": "1986, Alfred Price, Air Battle Central Europe",
"text": "In the case of retarded bombs released at too high a speed, the retarding fins might tear away and allow the bomb to go ballistic."
},
{
"ref": "1983, Michael Skinner, USAFE: A primer of modern air combat in Europe",
"text": "Putting something between you and the guidance radar will cause the missile to go ballistic."
}
],
"glosses": [
"for a powered, usually guided missile or other aerial vehicle to travel on an unguided or ballistic trajectory, having lost power, control or guidance"
],
"id": "en-go_ballistic-en-verb-TWBvmeaD",
"links": [
[
"military",
"military"
],
[
"guided",
"guided"
],
[
"unguided",
"unguided"
],
[
"power",
"power"
],
[
"control",
"control"
],
[
"guidance",
"guidance"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(military, slang) for a powered, usually guided missile or other aerial vehicle to travel on an unguided or ballistic trajectory, having lost power, control or guidance"
],
"tags": [
"slang"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"military",
"politics",
"war"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-go ballistic.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/35/En-au-go_ballistic.ogg/En-au-go_ballistic.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/En-au-go_ballistic.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "go ballistic"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English terms with audio links",
"English verbs",
"en:Rocketry"
],
"etymology_text": "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.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "goes ballistic",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "going ballistic",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "went ballistic",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "gone ballistic",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "go<goes,,went,gone> ballistic"
},
"expansion": "go ballistic (third-person singular simple present goes ballistic, present participle going ballistic, simple past went ballistic, past participle gone ballistic)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1964, Elle James and Pamela Kent, Enemy Lover",
"text": "She'd go ballistic, possibly even fling a fireball or two, if she knew Selene had him in her apartment."
},
{
"ref": "2011 Allen Gregory, \"Pilot\" (season 1, episode 1)",
"text": "Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Hey, sorry for going ballistic back there. I think the whole Julie-being-alive thing affected me more than I thought."
},
{
"text": "The guy went ballistic when I tried to tell him he couldn't return the socks if the package had been opened."
}
],
"glosses": [
"To become very angry and irrational."
],
"links": [
[
"angry",
"angry"
],
[
"irrational",
"irrational"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) To become very angry and irrational."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Aerospace"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1978, United States Senate, Part 8 of Fiscal year 1978 authorization for military procurement, research and development, and active duty, selected reserve, and civilian personnel strengths: hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, first session, on S. 1210",
"text": "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."
}
],
"glosses": [
"for a usually rocket-powered, predominantly non-glide projectile or aerial vehicle, such as a ballistic missile, to travel to its target partly via unpowered ballistic or quasi-ballistic flight, usually following burnout of its rocket motor"
],
"links": [
[
"aerospace",
"aerospace"
],
[
"rocket",
"rocket"
],
[
"powered",
"powered"
],
[
"glide",
"glide"
],
[
"projectile",
"projectile"
],
[
"aerial",
"aerial"
],
[
"vehicle",
"vehicle"
],
[
"ballistic missile",
"ballistic missile"
],
[
"unpowered",
"unpowered"
],
[
"ballistic",
"ballistic"
],
[
"burnout",
"burnout"
],
[
"rocket motor",
"rocket motor"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(aerospace) for a usually rocket-powered, predominantly non-glide projectile or aerial vehicle, such as a ballistic missile, to travel to its target partly via unpowered ballistic or quasi-ballistic flight, usually following burnout of its rocket motor"
],
"topics": [
"aerospace",
"business",
"engineering",
"natural-sciences",
"physical-sciences"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English slang",
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Military"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1976, Robert Frank Futrell, The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia-- aces and aerial victories, 1965-1973",
"text": "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..."
},
{
"ref": "1986, Alfred Price, Air Battle Central Europe",
"text": "In the case of retarded bombs released at too high a speed, the retarding fins might tear away and allow the bomb to go ballistic."
},
{
"ref": "1983, Michael Skinner, USAFE: A primer of modern air combat in Europe",
"text": "Putting something between you and the guidance radar will cause the missile to go ballistic."
}
],
"glosses": [
"for a powered, usually guided missile or other aerial vehicle to travel on an unguided or ballistic trajectory, having lost power, control or guidance"
],
"links": [
[
"military",
"military"
],
[
"guided",
"guided"
],
[
"unguided",
"unguided"
],
[
"power",
"power"
],
[
"control",
"control"
],
[
"guidance",
"guidance"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(military, slang) for a powered, usually guided missile or other aerial vehicle to travel on an unguided or ballistic trajectory, having lost power, control or guidance"
],
"tags": [
"slang"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"military",
"politics",
"war"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "en-au-go ballistic.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/35/En-au-go_ballistic.ogg/En-au-go_ballistic.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/En-au-go_ballistic.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "rupnout nervy"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "bouchnout saze"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "devenir fou furieux"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "in die Luft gehen"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "perder as estribeiras"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "repnuty nervy",
"sense": "become very angry",
"word": "репнути нерви"
}
],
"word": "go ballistic"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (4d5d0bb and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.