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lose your temper — get angry

collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon

to suddenly become very angry and unable to control your emotions.

Say it like a native

Textbook He experienced a sudden loss of emotional self-control.

Native He lost his temper.

'Lose your temper' is natural; the formal version is clinical.

Pattern: lose your temper (with someone/at something)

In use

  • He lost his temper when he saw the mess in the kitchen.daily life
  • In stressful situations, I try not to lose my temper, but sometimes it's difficult to stay calm when people are rude.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ He lost the temper.

✓ He lost his temper.

Use a possessive — 'lose YOUR/HIS temper', not 'the temper'.

Common collocations

  • lose your temper — with, completely, nearly, lost his

Don't confuse it

Don't confuse with 'keep your temper', which means to stay calm.

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