rampage

1 of 2

verb

ram·​page ˈram-ˌpāj How to pronounce rampage (audio)
(ˌ)ram-ˈpāj
rampaged; rampaging

intransitive verb

: to rush wildly about

rampage

2 of 2

noun

ram·​page ˈram-ˌpāj How to pronounce rampage (audio)
: a course of violent, riotous, or reckless action or behavior
rampageous adjective
rampageously adverb
rampageousness noun

Examples of rampage in a Sentence

Verb Rioters rampaged through the streets of the city. Noun some crazy guy went on a rampage in the public library and started grabbing books off the shelves and tossing them around
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
On Thursday Prime Minister Ariel Henry of Haiti flew to Keny to finalize such an agreement — even as violent gangs were rampaging through the streets of his own capital, Port-au-Prince, pressing for his ouster. Declan Walsh, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 But the biggest star of Dune: Part Two may be its immersive environment: the giant ships landing and taking off, the colossal sandworms who rampage without a care in the world for imperial politics. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 That misreading became fatally apparent on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants rampaged through southern Israel, carrying out the worst terrorist attack in the country’s history. Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024 But Kong's most important contribution to the horror genre may have more to do with his creator, stop-motion artist Willis H. O'Brien, than the giant rampaging ape himself. Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Hamas and other militant groups are believed to hold more than 130 hostages, including civilians and Israeli soldiers, seized in the militant rampaged into Israel. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 With this kind of tender loving care, Godzilla may be rampaging through Tokyo for yet another 70 years. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023 In the aftermath of Oct. 7, when the Hamas terrorist group stormed the Gaza border and rampaged through southern Israel, the Israeli public was united by grief. Guy Davies, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024 There is a historical marker acknowledging the riot — in which White residents rampaged through a Black neighborhood but no White person was charged. Rachel Hatzipanagos, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024
Noun
Internet service for many residents was down as Haiti’s top mobile network said a fiber-optic cable connection was slashed during the rampage. Evens Sanon and Pierre-Richard Luxama, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 In a partial win for the prosecution, Matthews also partly denied Crumbley's request that two Oxford students who witnessed his son's rampage not be allowed to testify. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 1 Mar. 2024 Five people died on that day or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted. Inside the siege: During the rampage, rioters came perilously close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building while lawmakers were still there, including former vice president Mike Pence. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Fifty-eight people were killed in the rampage — two others died later — and roughly 500 were wounded. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2024 Oakland County prosecutors charged her and her husband, James Crumbley, who is scheduled for trial in March, each with four counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from their son’s rampage at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 At least 32 Americans were killed during the initial Hamas rampage. Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 Investigators are still trying to determine what led Moreno to open fire at the church last week, including whether her mental health issues or a recent argument with her ex-husband’s family could have factored into the rampage. Ashley R. Williams, Jeanne Bonner and Raja Razek, CNN, 18 Feb. 2024 At the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, where 11 people were massacred a year ago in a shooting rampage. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rampage.' 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

Verb

originally Scots, probably an extension of ramp "to rage, storm about" (going back to early Scots and Middle English, "to rear up on the hind legs"), with a termination of uncertain origin — more at ramp entry 4

Note: The Scottish National Dictionary regards rampage as a blend of ramp "to rage, storm about" and rage (see rage entry 2); the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, on the other hand, hypothesizes "perhaps ramp [the verb] + -age [the suffix -age]. As the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, points out, the original place of stress (and concomitantly the pronunciation) are unknown.

Noun

noun derivative of rampage entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1692, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rampage was in 1692

Dictionary Entries Near rampage

Cite this Entry

“Rampage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rampage. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rampage

1 of 2 verb
ram·​page ˈram-ˌpāj How to pronounce rampage (audio)
(ˈ)ram-ˈpāj
rampaged; rampaging
: to rush wildly about

rampage

2 of 2 noun
ram·​page ˈram-ˌpāj How to pronounce rampage (audio)
: a course of violent or reckless action or behavior
rampageous adjective
rampageously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on rampage

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