"to do something in the heat of the moment"

Meaning: to do something without thinking about the consequences while one is very excited, angry, surprised, etc.

Similar Expressions

• I punched him in the heat of the moment.
• I punched him without thinking about it.
• I got angry and just punched him.
• I just punched him without thinking about what I was doing.

When do we use it?

Sometimes, when we feel a strong emotion, we do things without thinking about the consequences or effect of our action.

This expression is usually used when we are talking about something we did when we were very angry, excited, or eager. We can use this for positive or negative actions.

• We were arguing and I got very angry and in the heat of the moment, I punched him.
• I didn't think before I tackled the robber. I just did it in the heat of the moment.

How do we use it?

We can put this expression after the action.

• We did it in the heat of the moment.
• Everybody was happy and celebrating and I just kissed her in the heat of the moment.

We can also this expression before the action.

• Everybody was running and screaming because of the fire, and in the heat of the moment I just picked up the child and ran out of the building.
• The players were playing very hard, and in the heat of the moment, our best player made a huge mistake.

We can also use this expression at the beginning of a sentence.

• In the heat of the moment, it is difficult to make the right decision.
• In the heat of the moment, we yelled at each other and said things that we regret now.

Adding expressions and idioms to your vocabulary will help you become a better English speaker. You do not need to learn a million expressions or idioms at one time! If you study new English expressions and idioms steadily and consistently, then your vocabulary will get better and better. Use these free English lessons to expand your vocabulary and learn useful English idioms, slang, and expressions.