amuck

/əˈmʌk/

When things go amuck, they are wildly out of control. Someone running amuck is showing no self-control.

This is a word that has to do with chaos and disorder. A riot is an example of people running amuck. In a cafeteria, if people are yelling and throwing food, they are going amuck. This word applies to times when control has been lost: people are showing no self-control, and the situation is out of hand. Sometimes, going amuck is positive, though. If a football player scores five touchdowns in a game, you could say he's running amuck.

Definitions of amuck

1. adverb

   wildly; without self-control
   “when the restaurant caught fire the patrons ran amuck, blocking the exit”

   synonyms: amok
2. adverb

   in a murderous frenzy
   “rioters running amuck and throwing sticks and bottles and stones”

   synonyms: amok, murderously
3. adjective

   frenzied as if possessed by a demon
   “the soldier was completely amuck”

   synonyms: amok, berserk, demoniac, demoniacal, possessed

   insane

   afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement