go berserk

Idioms  

1. Erupt in furious rage, become crazily violent. For example, When they announced the gymnast's score, her coach went berserk. This expression is believed to allude to the name of Norse warriors renowned for their ferocity in battle and for wearing no armor but a bearskin shirt (or berserkar). [Late 1800s] Also see go ape.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go berserk

On a flat pitch, Marsh and Rickelton added 148 for the first wicket which gave Brook, England's limited-overs captain, the licence to go berserk.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Or will she go berserk and blow up the system?

From New York Times ● May 31, 2022

We see you, 2021, literally giving 2020 a run for its money by having the stock market go berserk because of — wait for it — Reddit?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2021

She may be less inclined to go berserk if she can’t get right up to the portal where all the sounds and smells are coming from.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2019

We watched from a spot on the roof, expecting him to go berserk.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

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Related Words

• blow up
• boil over
• erupt
• rampage
• roar
• seethe
• tear

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