Drive Someone up the Wall — Meaning, Usage & Examples

What it means...

To irritate or annoy someone so much that they feel they are losing their patience.

When something drives you up the wall, it frustrates you intensely and makes it very hard to stay calm.

It is used to describe things or people that are consistently and deeply irritating.

Use it when…

When a repetitive noise, habit, or behavior is making someone extremely frustrated
When a colleague's or flatmate's actions are consistently irritating beyond patience
When a minor but persistent issue is causing a disproportionate amount of annoyance

Don’t confuse with...

"Get on Someone's Nerves"

—

Mildly irritating someone in an ongoing way, less intense than driving them up the wall

"Push Someone's Buttons"

—

Deliberately doing things that provoke a specific emotional reaction in someone

"Drive Someone up the Wall"

—

Irritating someone to the point of extreme frustration and lost patience

Where you’ll hear it

You’ll hear the "Drive Someone up the Wall" idiom in real life — at work, in relationships, or in the media.

Work & Business

Office Conversations

A colleague admits that her officemate's habit of humming all day is driving her up the wall.

Relationships & Social Life

Family

A parent says the constant arguing between siblings is driving her up the wall.

Media & Everyday Life

Daily Situations

A man says the neighbour's leaf blower at 7 AM every Saturday is driving him up the wall.

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Use it like this

Here’s how to use "Drive Someone up the Wall" idiom naturally in real conversations, with real examples.

Work & Business

Talking to Colleague

You

The notification sound on the shared system goes off every two minutes — it's driving me up the wall.

Colleague

I know — I muted it on day one. Here, I'll show you how.

Relationships

Talking to Friend

Friend

Is your new flatmate working out?

You

Mostly, but his habit of leaving dishes in the sink is driving me up the wall.

Everyday Conversations

Everyday Problems

You

This software crashes every time I try to export — it's driving me up the wall.

Friend

Try updating it — a patch came out last week.

‹›

Last updated:

April 20, 2026

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