for the hell of it

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

I steal things I can't eat, just for the hell of it.
By contrast, Phena seemed intent on avoiding everyone, and anyone who did deign to speak to her got snapped at for their trouble.

British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.

Common questions

What does “for the hell of it” mean?

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

Is “for the hell of it” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.