hell to pay

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For Bondi, a woman who just hours ago was touting the president’s work ethic, there was hell to pay.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025

He did not identify the Kremlin faction but said that it continued its attempts to sow discord, it would have "hell to pay".

From Reuters • Jun. 3, 2023

“There’s going to be hell to pay for this.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2022

“It means somebody didn’t do their job. There’s going to be hell to pay for that.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2018

If he ever pulled the pointer antics with, say, somebody like Carter, there’d be hell to pay.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier