rampant

[ ram-puhnt ]
See synonyms for rampant on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. violent in action or spirit; raging; furious: a rampant leopard.

  2. growing luxuriantly, as weeds.

  1. in full sway; prevailing or unchecked: a rampant rumor.

  2. (of an animal) standing on the hind legs; ramping.

  3. Heraldry. (of a beast used as a charge) represented in profile facing the dexter side, with the body upraised and resting on the left hind leg, the tail and other legs elevated, the right foreleg highest, and the head in profile unless otherwise specified: a lion rampant.

  4. Architecture. (of an arch or vault) springing at one side from one level of support and resting at the other on a higher level.

Origin of rampant

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, literally, “creeping, climbing,” present participle of ramper “to creep, crawl, climb”; see ramp1

Other words for rampant

Other words from rampant

  • ramp·ant·ly, adverb

Words Nearby rampant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rampant in a sentence

  • And a rampant ache in my head, seconded by a medium-sized gash in the scalp, didn't make for an access of optimism at that moment.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • The tumult and license which usually characterise a general election were more than ordinarily rampant and intolerant.

  • It is however but a cheap substitute for authority, and belongs of right to a rampant jingoism of a past age.

  • "Tommy Atkins" was the rage for the moment, and what may be called "Absent-minded Beggarism" was rampant.

    The Relief of Mafeking | Filson Young
  • There is no evidence before the Government that a widespread conspiracy is rampant in the West of Ireland.

    Is Ulster Right? | Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for rampant

rampant

/ (ˈræmpənt) /


adjective
  1. unrestrained or violent in behaviour, desire, opinions, etc

  2. growing or developing unchecked

  1. (postpositive) heraldry (of a beast) standing on the hind legs, the right foreleg raised above the left

  2. (of an arch) having one abutment higher than the other

Origin of rampant

1
C14: from Old French ramper to crawl, rear; see ramp

Derived forms of rampant

  • rampancy, noun
  • rampantly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012