Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb In a frenzy to do violence or kill.
  • adverb In or into a jumbled or confused state.
  • adverb In or into an uncontrolled state or a state of extreme activity.
  • adjective Crazed with murderous frenzy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Literally, in a state of murderous frenzy; indiscriminately slaughtering or killing: a term used in the Eastern Archipelago.
  • Hence — To proceed in a blind, headstrong manner, careless of consequences, which are most likely to be disastrous.
  • [Sometimes written in two words, and treated as a noun with the indefinite article.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • In a frenzied and reckless manner.
  • to rush out in a state of frenzy, as the Malays sometimes do under the influence of “bhang,” and attack every one that comes in the way; to assail recklessly and indiscriminately.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a frantic or frenzied and violent manner; in a confused, jumbled or uncontrolled state.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective frenzied as if possessed by a demon
  • adverb in a murderous frenzy
  • adverb wildly; without self-control

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Malay amok.]

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Examples

Comments

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  • Getting stuck in the muck. Not to be confused with amok.

    December 9, 2006

  • Mmmmmm, dictionary.com doesn't agree, and they know everything. ;)

    February 19, 2007

  • Citation on crescentic.

    July 25, 2008

  • Seems exactly the same as amok to me

    July 25, 2008