How do you say “Like a bat out of hell” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is wie der Blitz, which literally means “like lightning”. English speakers use like a bat out of hell to mean extremely fast, often in a wild or hurried way. Keeps the speed, but loses the English phrase's wild edge. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural German
wie der Blitz
/viː deːɐ̯ blɪts/
- Literal meaning
- “like lightning”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
89 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
German uses lightning for sudden, very fast movement. You can run, disappear or rush past “wie der Blitz.”
The phrase is less rough than the English wording. If reckless driving is the point, add that detail rather than expecting the comparison alone to carry it.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
When the bell rang, he ran outside like a bat out of hell.
German
Als es klingelte, rannte er wie der Blitz nach draußen.
English
The dog shot through the gate like a bat out of hell.
German
Der Hund schoss wie der Blitz durch das Tor.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-19