Run Amok is a phrasal verb meaning to behave in a wildly chaotic or uncontrolled manner, often with violence or destruction. It conveys a sudden loss of restraint, typically after restraint or disruption has broken down. The phrase is commonly used in journalism and literature, and can describe people, crowds, or agents of chaos acting without regard to rules or consequences.
US: rhotic and sharper /ɒ/ in amok; emphasize am-OK with a crisp /k/. UK: less rhoticity; more clipped run, slightly higher vowel in am; focus on /ɒ/ as open back rounded. AU: variable rhoticity; often broader /æ/ or /ə/ in am; final /k/ remains a hard stop. IPA references: US /rən əmˈɒk/, UK /rʌn əmˈɒk/, AU /ɹʌn æˈmɒk/; maintain rhythm with primary stress on am-OK in all variants. Use careful tongue positioning: tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /r/, mid-back tongue for /ɒ/, and a quick, clean stop /k/.
"The crowd ran amok after the final whistle, overturning stalls and shouting in the street."
"If the guards fail to contain the protest, things may run amok and cause extensive damage."
"In the film, the villain’s minions run amok through the city, leaving a trail of chaos."
"Efforts to balance budgets were neglected, and the project ran amok, spiraling out of control."
Run Amok is believed to have originated from the Malay/Indonesian term amuk, which described a sudden, violent assault or berserk fury, historically associated with certain cultural rituals and warfare. In the 17th–19th centuries, European travelers and colonial administrators adopted the term, often rendering it as “amok” or “amuck,” and used in English to describe acts of unrestrained violence. The phrase gained particular prominence after colonial encounters in Southeast Asia, where men might “amok” as a spontaneous, ritualized outbreak of violence. The English usage fused the verb phrases run and amok, creating a strong, idiomatic expression. In modern usage, run amok conveys a dramatic, almost cinematic loss of control, often with negative or cautionary connotations. First known appearances in English print appear in the 1880s–1910s, with journalism and fiction adopting it to dramatize uprisings or unruly behavior. The etymology reflects a cross-cultural borrowing that emphasizes sudden, explosive action rather than a slow decline into disorder. Over time, the phrase has settled into common lexicon, expanding from its literal sense to a figurative one: people or systems running amok in any domain—politics, technology, fashion—when restraint fails and chaos ensues.
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Words that rhyme with "Run Amok"
-ock sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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US: /rən ætˈmɒk/ or /rən əmˈɒk/ depending on influence. Commonly pronounced as two chunks: "run" /rən/ and "amok" /æˈmɒk/ or /əmˈɒk/. Primary stress falls on the second syllable in amok: am-OK. Lip rounding: slight rounding for /ɒ/; tongue relaxed for /r/; the /n/ blends softly into /æ/ in casual speech. For clear articulation, say “RUN” with a relaxed /ɹ/ and forward vowel, then “AM-OK” with a clear /æ/ or /ə/ followed by /mɒk/. Audio example references: you can check reputable pronunciation resources for US/UK variations.
Common errors include misplacing the stress boundary between run and amok, treating amok as two evenly stressed syllables rather than am-OK, and mispronouncing /ɒ/ as /ɑː/ or /ɔː/. Some speakers omit the initial schwa in /rən/ and say /rən/ with a reduced vowel, or flatten the /m/ into a nasal run. Correct by stressing am-OK, ensuring a short, crisp /æ/ or /ə/ in am, and finishing with a crisp /k/. Practice with minimal pairs like run/ran and amok/ammock to train the rhythm.
US: /rən əmˈɒk/ with rhotic /r/ and slightly reduced first syllable. UK: /rʌn əmˈɒk/ or /rən æˈmɒk/ with less reduction of the first vowel and a more pronounced /ɒ/ in amok. AU: /ɹʊn æˈmɒk/ or /ɹʌn əmˈɒk/ with variable vowel height and a tapped or approximant /ɹ/ and a slightly more open /ɒ/. Across accents, the main differences are vowel quality in amok (open back /ɒ/ vs central) and the degree of rhoticity in run (rhotic US vs non-rhotic UK). Acute attention to vowel length and the post-tonic stress can help maintain intelligibility.
Phonetic challenges include the two-stressed-then-stressed pattern across syllables, tricky vowel in amok (/æ/ or /ə/ followed by /m/), and the final /k/ which demands crisp closure. The sequence r-unstressed-n followed by am-OK creates a quick transition that can blur if you aren’t precise with the schwa, and the vowel in amok can drift toward /ɒ/ or /ɔ:/ depending on accent. Slow down the phrase, exaggerate the am-OK portion, and practice with minimal pairs to stabilize rhythm.
There is no silent letter in Run Amok, but the internal stress pattern can surprise learners. The word amok carries the primary stress in the second syllable (am-OK), while run is typically unstressed in fluent speech. This two-beat rhythm—unstressed RUN followed by STRESSED AM-OK—creates a distinctive cadence. Ensure clear enunciation of /æ/ or /ə/ in am, then hard /k/ on the end. Practicing with deliberate pausing after run will help you preserve that rhythm.
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