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Synonyms

amok

American  
[uh-muhk, uh-mok] / əˈmʌk, əˈmɒk /

noun

  1. (among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder.

adjective

  1. amuck.

idioms

  1. run / go amok. amuck.

amok British  
/ əˈmʌk, əˈmɒk, əˈmʌk /

noun

  1. a state of murderous frenzy, originally observed among Malays

"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

adverb

  1. to run about with or as if with a frenzied desire to kill

"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

Etymology

Origin of amok

First recorded in 1865–70, amok is from the Malay word amuk

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.

Now, the rest of them are rejecting the nice guy while Rapaport continues to run amok.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026

But Beijing also can’t afford to let AI run amok.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

But concerns about a possible AI bubble are running amok, as stretched valuations within the technology sector draw an increasing amount of scrutiny.

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

Their defending has been such an abomination that Celtic, with no dependable striker but with a point to prove, could potentially run amok.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

I feel as if I were in the United Nations and the translators had run amok.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.