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amok

adverb · noun · verb

Simple meaning

Out of control.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

uhmuhk

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

əˈmʌk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.

  2. In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.

  3. In a murderous frenzy

noun

  1. One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves.

  2. The act of running amok.

verb

  1. Synonym of run amok.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.

Used this way, amok is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Critical or judgemental
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • amuck , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

runs amokamok pressamok like

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: out of control or especially when armed and dangerous

amuckRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.