# for Pete's sake

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/for-petes-sake
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used to express frustration, exasperation, annoyance

## Examples

- For Pete's sake, please stop making that noise.
- For Pete's sake, pick up your dirty socks from the floor.
- Just answer the phone for Pete's sake!
- For Pete's sake, I have told you three times to lock the door before leaving.
- For Pete's sake, we have been driving in circles for twenty minutes because you refuse to use the map.
- The bus is late again for Pete's sake, and now I am going to miss my doctor's appointment.
- For Pete's sake, the printer is jammed again even though I just spent an hour fixing it this morning.
- For Pete's sake, after hours of careful preparation, the entire project collapsed due to a simple technical error.

## Origin

The idiom emerged as a euphemistic substitution for the religious invocations of for Christ's sake or for God's sake. The name Pete is generally understood to refer to Saint Peter, though the phrasing may have been influenced by the phonetically similar for pity's sake. It persists as a socially acceptable method of expressing exasperation without the inconvenience of blasphemy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.