run amok
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Behave disruptively.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
This chain successfully bound Fenrir until Ragnarok, the Day of Judgement, when he broke loose and ran amok in the heavens, swallowing ODIN whole.
‘ I borrowed a hammer from one of the allotment holders and forced an entry to find the raiders had ran amok inside hurling bricks through the wooden huts and smashing window frames,’ he said.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “run amok” mean?
Behave disruptively.
Is “run amok” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.