amok 1 of 2

adverb

variants or amuck
Definition of amoknext
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner returned to the classroom to find an escaped snake and her students running amok

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

amok

2 of 2

adjective

variants or amuck
as in berserk

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of amok
Adverb
Also, po’ boys and gossip and volcanoes and, yes, a Frankenstein AI run amok. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026 Some people ardently believe that AI and AI makers are being allowed to run amok. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Adjective
Wyatt Russell has been terrific as this avatar of male insecurity run wildly amok, but the script isn’t always doing him favors. — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2021 See All Example Sentences for amok
Recent Examples of Synonyms for amok
  1. frantically
  2. berserk
  3. wildly
  4. nuclear
  5. wild
  6. maniacal
  7. uncontrollably
  8. demented
Adverb
  • By halftime, one was at the hospital, and the other was running for his life on every snap while frantically shaking out his throwing hand.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Their verbal volley is interrupted as each of them frantically googles quotes and facts on everything from the Zionist leader Jabotinsky to the American actor Jordan Peele.
    — Hannah Seligson, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of frantically
Adjective
  • The small pockets of Egyptian fans in the stadium went absolutely berserk, jumping and ripping off their shirts as their team went bonkers below them.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • When the Spurs locked down Brunson, or tried, the ball went elsewhere, zinging around the court, from player to player, as if in a berserk video game.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Definition of berserk
Adverb
  • Oren’s particular calibration across all aspects of her atmosphere, design, pacing, and performances make that movie an especially fascinating film to revisit, as the reading of it differs quite wildly each time.
    — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Stewart had been singing with The Faces for several years before launching a wildly successful solo career in the early 1970s.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of wildly
Adjective
  • Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly has pushed back on suggestions that the agreement represents the creation of a new sectarian or military bloc, saying it is not connected to nuclear ambitions or an arms race.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • In comparison, the EIC is being developed specifically to explore the structure of nuclear matter.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of nuclear
Adverb
  • Two more runs scored in the fourth inning when Ohtani, Pages and Freeman strung together three consecutive two-out singles and Keller wild-pitched a run home.
    — Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 12 June 2026
  • First, like cucumbers, squash is a wild-growing vegetable that competes for garden space, according to Dilmore.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 9 June 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • Especially after a clunker of a season in 2025, superstar receiver Justin Jefferson won’t settle for anything other than maniacal attention to detail on and off the field.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • The odd thing about this choice is that, although the DSA’s platform is indeed chock-full of maniacal proposals, on this particular idea, the maniacs have a point.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of maniacal
Adverb
  • Meanwhile, wildfires have been blazing uncontrollably, most notably this week in the New Forest in southern England.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle begins to slide uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of uncontrollably
Adjective
  • Sánchez’s entry features industrious zombies hot on the tails of some cyclists, while Evans’ installment (the best here) deals with a demented doomsday cult.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • Moments later, Haaland suddenly made one of his almost demented charges, at Senegal’s goalkeeper.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
Definition of demented

Phrases Containing amok

Browse Nearby Words

amnesty
amok
among
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Amok.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/amok. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on amok

Nglish: Translation of amok for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zeugma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All