rampant

adjective

ram·​pant ˈram-pənt 

also -ˌpant

1

a

: rearing upon the hind legs with forelegs extended

b

: standing on one hind foot with one foreleg raised above the other and the head in profile

—used of a heraldic animal

2

a

: marked by a menacing wildness, extravagance, or absence of restraint

rampant rumors

b

: profusely widespread

rampant weeds

rampantly adverb

Illustration of rampant

• a lion rampant

Synonyms of rampant

• runaway
• uncontrolled
• raw

Examples of rampant in a Sentence

a weed that's rampant in this area

the mayor promised to put a stop to the rampant crime that plagued the city

Recent Examples on the Web

Nance proposed bringing the story of rampant fraud to a handpicked journalist, who would interview a suspect cooperating with police, a retailer and someone whose identity had been stolen for the scam. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Perched between China and India, ​the country of 30 million people has been plagued ​for ⁠decades by political instability, crippling a largely agrarian economy and worsening unemployment – structural issues compounded by rampant corruption. —CNN Money, 6 Mar. 2026

The pairing of drones with advanced AI technology is becoming more rampant. —Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026

Part of that might be a consequence of the kind of valuation inflation that’s become rampant in the AI startup space over the past year. —Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rampaunt, rampand, borrowed from Anglo-French rampant "crawling, rampant (in heraldry)," from present participle of ramper "to climb, rear up on the hind legs, creep" — more at ramp entry 4

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing rampant

• run rampant

Kids Definition

rampant

adjective

ram·​pant ˈram-pənt 

also -ˌpant

1

: standing on the hind legs like a horse rearing

2

: not checked in growth or spread

rumor ran rampant

rampantly adverb