Meanings
- emphaticintensifierIn a manner that uses all of the strength, speed, or effort that a person can summon.
You'd better run like hell!
1 more example
He had an innate honesty and humility, a work ethic that elevated him above most others in England. He knew what he wanted and worked like hell to try to make it happen.
2018 May 4, Tom English, “Steven Gerrard: A 'seriously clever or recklessly stupid' Rangers appointment”, in BBC Sport - Used ironically to express the opposite of one's intentions
Me do the washing up? Like hell I will!
Synonyms: like fuck
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseUsed ironically to express the opposite of one's intentions
More synonyms by meaning
adverb(informal) with great speed or effort or intensity; used for emphasis
adverbused ironically to indicate the opposite of what is stated
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Czech tos uhod, to určitě
- tos uhodexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- to určitěexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
Finnish helvetisti
- helvetistiusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
French le diable aux trousses, le diable aux cul
- le diable aux troussesusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- le diable aux culusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- le diable aux chaussesusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- à mortusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- à fond la caisseusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- à donfusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- mon culexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- c'est mortexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- même pas en rêveexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
Hungarian pokolian
- pokolianusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
Italian a palla, a pieno regime
- a pallausing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- a pieno regimeusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- col cazzoexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
Polish jak diabli, jak cholera
- jak diabliusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- jak cholerausing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- nie ma mowyexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- okropniebad or badly
Portuguese o caraças, o tanas
- o caraçasexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- o tanasexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- o escambauexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
Russian чёрта с два
- чёрта с два (čórta s dva)expressing the opposite of one's intentions
Spanish a huevo que
- a huevo queexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
Swedish som fan, så in i helvete
- som fanusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- så in i helveteusing all strength, speed, effort that one can summon
- i helvete hellerexpressing the opposite of one's intentions
- som fanbad or badly
Cite this entry
like hell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20hell
“like hell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20hell. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “like hell,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20hell.
Source: like hell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.