Lose your temper means to suddenly get very angry. It describes the moment someone stops holding back their anger: they raise their voice or slam a door. Your changes with the person: I lost my temper, she lost her temper. The person you get angry with follows with.
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lose your/my/his temper (with + person); keep your temper; have a (bad) temper
- I lost my temper with the delivery company after they cancelled my order twice.
- Our coach never loses his temper, even when we play really badly.
- Try not to lose your temper in meetings: people stop listening when you shout.
What changed
First versionI was so tired that I lost my nerves and shouted at the kids.
RevisionI was so tired that I lost my temper and shouted at the kids.
Nerves may seem like the right word when you have had enough and snap. But lose my nerves isn't said in English, and the similar lose your nerve means to lose courage and not dare to do something. If you snapped out of anger, you need lost my temper.
Temper without lose means a tendency to get angry: He has a terrible temper, so he gets angry very easily. The opposite of lose your temper is keep your temper, to stay calm: I tried hard to keep my temper during the interview.
Your turn
When the waiter brought the wrong dish for the third time, my dad finally ___ and demanded to see the manager.
Show the answer
lost his temper — The waiter got the order wrong three times, and the dad is angry and asks for the manager. That is lost his temper. Lost his nerve would mean he got scared and backed down, but here he acts decisively.
Think of a time you lost your temper. Write what made you angry and what you did.
I lost my temper when my neighbour's dog barked all night, and I knocked on his door at 3 a.m.
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