amuck

American  

[uh-muhk] / əˈmʌk /

adjective

1. mad with murderous frenzy.

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noun

1. amok.

idioms

1. run / go amuck,

   1. to rush about in a murderous frenzy.

      The maniac ran amuck in the crowd, shooting at random.

   2. to rush about wildly; lose self-control.

      When the nightclub caught fire the patrons ran amuck, blocking the exits.

amuck British  

/ əˈmʌk /

noun

1. a variant of amok

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Etymology

Origin of amuck

First recorded in 1510–20; variant of amok

Explanation

When things go amuck, they are wildly out of control. Someone running amuck is showing no self-control. This is a word that has to do with chaos and disorder. A riot is an example of people running amuck. In a cafeteria, if people are yelling and throwing food, they are going amuck. This word applies to times when control has been lost: people are showing no self-control, and the situation is out of hand. Sometimes, going amuck is positive, though. If a football player scores five touchdowns in a game, you could say he's running amuck.

Example Sentences

In “The Simpsons,” corruption runs amuck at FIFA, ultimately ending in the arrest of the vice president of world soccer’s governing body.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2024

The sheriff who let him go said that he “no longer had any confidence” in him, explaining that the agent was “running amuck in the community.”

From Slate • Jan. 31, 2020

We don’t know where the Dothraki went, or why they similarly didn’t run amuck.

From The Verge • May 20, 2019

In other words, hippos populations won’t run totally amuck.

From The Guardian • Jul. 18, 2018

They had more or less run amuck and were damming up rivers and flooding highways, filling pastures, even beginning to invade the cities.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen