run amok

/ɹˈʌn ɐmˈɒk/

/ɹˈʌn ɐmˈɑːk/

to run amok

to lose self-control and act violently

Examples

1. It’s a story, in part about what can be wrought by reason run amok.

2. And pathogens and abnormalities began to run amok where antibodies could not get to them.

3. Dear Guillotine, I can think of no better example of Enlightenment thinking run amok.

4. Other animals sacrifice their neighbors: quail chicks that freeze while their kin run amok have a better chance of survival when pursued by a cat.