amok

[ uh-muhk, uh-mok ]
See synonyms for amok on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder.

adjective

Idioms about amok

  1. run / go amok. amuck (def. 3).

Origin of amok

1
First recorded in 1865–70, amok is from the Malay word amuk

Words Nearby amok

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use amok in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for amok

amok

amuck (əˈmʌk)

/ (əˈmʌk, əˈmɒk) /


noun
  1. a state of murderous frenzy, originally observed among Malays

adverb
  1. run amok to run about with or as if with a frenzied desire to kill

Origin of amok

1
C17: from Malay amoq furious assault

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012