Run amok
Meaning
To behave in a wild, uncontrolled, and often destructive manner.
Origin
The vivid phrase 'run amok' stems directly from the Malay word 'amuk,' which describes a terrifying cultural phenomenon: a person, often driven to desperation by profound grief or perceived injustice, would enter an uncontrollable, frenzied rage, leading to a murderous rampage. European explorers and traders, primarily from the 17th century onwards, observed these deadly outbursts in Southeast Asia. The Dutch and Portuguese were among the first to bring the term into their lexicons, but it was English speakers who widely adopted 'amok' to convey the sense of violent, indiscriminate frenzy. The phrase quickly shed its specific cultural ties, becoming a potent metaphor for any situation where control is lost and chaos reigns, whether by people, animals, or even machines.
Examples
- After the gate was left open, the farm animals ran amok through the village gardens.
- The new software update caused the system to run amok, deleting valuable data before engineers could intervene.