How do you say “Blow a fuse” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is jemandem brennen die Sicherungen durch, which literally means “someone's fuses burn out”. English speakers use blow a fuse to mean to suddenly lose your temper. German uses the same electrical image for losing control. An angry scene makes the intended meaning clear. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
jemandem brennen die Sicherungen durch
/ˈjeːmandəm ˈbʁɛnən diː ˈzɪçəʁʊŋən dʊʁç/
- Literal meaning
- “someone's fuses burn out”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
92 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
The German sentence usually makes the fuses the subject: “Mir sind die Sicherungen durchgebrannt.” That means I lost my temper.
It can also describe a broader loss of control. Keep the cause of the anger in the sentence if that is the point.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity5 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
Dad blew a fuse when he saw the dent in his car.
German
Papa sind die Sicherungen durchgebrannt, als er die Delle in seinem Auto gesehen hat.
English
When the neighbours started drilling at six, I blew a fuse.
German
Als die Nachbarn um sechs anfingen zu bohren, sind mir die Sicherungen durchgebrannt.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01