noun
1.
(among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder.
adjective
Idioms 2.
3.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To amok
Collins
World English Dictionary
amok or amuck (əˈmʌk, əˈmɒk, əˈmʌk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a state of murderous frenzy, originally observed among Malays |
| —adv | |
| 2. | run amok to run about with or as if with a frenzied desire to kill |
| [C17: from Malay amoq furious assault] | |
| amuck or amuck | |
| —n | |
| —adv | |
| [C17: from Malay amoq furious assault] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Amok
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
amok
in phrase to run amok first recorded 1670s, from Malay amuk "attacking furiously." Earlier the word was used as a noun or adj. meaning "a frenzied Malay," originally in the Port. form amouco or amuco.
"There are some of them [the Javanese] who ... go out into the streets, and kill as many persons as they meet. ... These are called Amuco." ["The Book of Duarte Barbosa: An Account of the Countries Bordering on the Indian Ocean and Their Inhabitants," c.1516, Eng. transl.]Cf. amuck.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Maybe that will keep the dogs from running amok with bones of contention.
The fence surrounding the small recreational area gives kids the freedom to run amok while staying safely in sight.
When expertise is diminished to such an extent, irrationality and fear can run amok.
There sure is a lot of ignorance running amok on these days.
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