frenzy

1 of 2

noun

fren·​zy ˈfren-zē How to pronounce frenzy (audio)
plural frenzies
1
a
: a temporary madness
in a rage amounting to a frenzy
b
: a violent mental or emotional agitation
… almost weeping in a frenzy of anxiety …Colleen McCullough
2
: intense usually wild and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity
a shopping frenzy
… the mob chanted itself into a frenzyC. Carr

frenzy

2 of 2

verb

frenzied; frenzying

transitive verb

: to affect with frenzy

Examples of frenzy in a Sentence

Noun the buying frenzy just before Christmas in its frenzy to flee the danger, the crowd became uncontrollable, and a number of people were trampled to death Verb local football fans who were frenzied by the fact that their team was going to the Super Bowl
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On Mommy Duty Even in the midst of the frenzy of a football match in Miami, she was captured totally tuned in with her baby boy, who was only three months at the time the photo was taken. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 10 Nov. 2023 The article that set off a frenzy of speculation and anticipation was retracted by Nature on Tuesday after months of rising doubts about its claims and Dias, its lead author. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023 My father, who had been a governor of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, was assassinated in 2011 by a religious fanatic whom clerics and broadcasters had worked into a frenzy. Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023 Lipa then goes on to stalk her way past the mirrors before a crew of dancers appears with the flash of a strobe light, and then lifts her up in a bacchanalian frenzy; finally, as the song reaches its epic conclusion, she’s left alone in the studio catching her breath. Liam Hess, Vogue, 9 Nov. 2023 Rhythms built and then broke down to nothing, a pace far removed from the typical crowd-pleasing techno set, which nonetheless drew the crowd into frenzy. Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2023 The final days were a frenzy, with the last scene—Rutger Hauer’s moody android death—shot against the last sunrise to dawn before Scott’s cameras would be taken from him. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023 The latter — driven by an apocalyptic, millenarian creed — had embarked on a frenzy of killing, torture, grisly execution and abductions of civilians from communities of supposed apostates and enemies. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 Another hit followed; within a moment the street was the scene of a violent frenzy. Timothy McLaughlin, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
Verb
Advertisement The outcry over the Angels’ waiver frenzy last week was ridiculous. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2023 Wall Street Journal Five Guys frenzy There are grand openings, and then there's the launch of Five Guys in South Korea. Alan Murray, Fortune, 30 June 2023 Long before the globetrotting tours, the tabloid headlines, the Beatlesque frenzy that’s driving desperate parents to spend $12,000 for concert tickets, Taylor Swift got a crucial career break in a Livonia parking lot. Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 8 June 2023 The 10-piece band's high energy, coupled with the soulful vocals and electric performance of its frontman, known as Black Wolf, frenzied the audience, keeping them on their feet and wanting more. La Risa R. Lynch, Journal Sentinel, 1 June 2023 This has been a frenzied 72 hours for the Indianapolis Colts, a franchise that doesn’t do frenzy. The Indianapolis Star, 12 Jan. 2023 Allow us to breakdown why these tumblers, of all the Starbucks tumblers, seem to frenzy customers the most: First, each tumbler comes in one color but turns into another when exposed to cold liquids. Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, 27 May 2020 Together, the percussion and brass became springboards for a buildup to frenzy. Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2022 Because that conflict remains unresolved in the story, Jones often declines to resolve it in movement; numbers build from tension to frenzy without the overfamiliar Broadway-style climax. New York Times, 15 Feb. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frenzy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English frenesie, franesie, frensy, fransy "insanity, delirium, fit of madness," borrowed from Anglo-French frenesie, frensye, borrowed from Medieval Latin phrenēsia, re-formation of Late Latin phrenēsis "inflammation of the brain, madness," derivative (by analogy with other Greek nouns in -ēsis with corresponding adjectives in -ētikos) of Latin phrenēticus "suffering from madness" — more at frenetic

Verb

derivative of frenzy entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1791, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frenzy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near frenzy

Cite this Entry

“Frenzy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frenzy. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

frenzy

noun
fren·​zy
ˈfren-zē
plural frenzies
: great and often wild or disorderly activity

Medical Definition

frenzy

noun
fren·​zy ˈfren-zē How to pronounce frenzy (audio)
plural frenzies
1
a
: a temporary madness
b
: a violent mental or emotional agitation
2
: intense usually wild and often disorderly compulsive or agitated activity
frenzied adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on frenzy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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