rampage

1 of 2

verb

ram·page ˈram-ˌpāj

(ˌ)ram-ˈpāj

rampaged; rampaging

Synonyms of rampage next

intransitive verb

: to rush wildly about

rampage

2 of 2

noun

ram·page ˈram-ˌpāj

: a course of violent, riotous, or reckless action or behavior

rampageous

ram-ˈpā-jəs

adjective

rampageously adverb

rampageousness noun

Examples of rampage in a Sentence

Verb Rioters rampaged through the streets of the city. Noun some crazy guy went on a rampage in the public library and started grabbing books off the shelves and tossing them around

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

The father of three was trapped at home with his family as a landslide rampaged the surrounding area, taking down trees and impacting roads, barring his ability to check in on others. —

Solcyré Burga, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024 But Kong's most important contribution to the horror genre may have more to do with his creator, stop-motion artist Willis H. O'Brien, than the giant rampaging ape himself. —

Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024

Noun

For the family of the Army reservist who carried out a mass shooting across Maine's second-largest city one year ago, dissecting what provoked the deadly rampage has been daunting. —

Brenda Breslauer, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024 This guy's been on a two-month rampage of insulting everybody who's not— Leah Feiger: Everyone. —

Leah Feiger, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rampage

Word History

Etymology

Verb

originally Scots, probably an extension of ramp "to rage, storm about" (going back to early Scots and Middle English, "to rear up on the hind legs"), with a termination of uncertain origin — more at ramp entry 4

Note: The Scottish National Dictionary regards rampage as a blend of ramp "to rage, storm about" and rage (see rage entry 2); the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, on the other hand, hypothesizes "perhaps ramp [the verb] + -age [the suffix -age]. As the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, points out, the original place of stress (and concomitantly the pronunciation) are unknown.

Noun

noun derivative of rampage entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1692, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of rampage was in 1692

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Rampage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rampage. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

rampage

1 of 2 verb

ram·page ˈram-ˌpāj

(ˈ)ram-ˈpāj

rampaged; rampaging

: to rush wildly about

rampage

2 of 2 noun

ram·page ˈram-ˌpāj

: a course of violent or reckless action or behavior

rampageous

ram-ˈpā-jəs

adjective

rampageously adverb

Last Updated: 10 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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rampage

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of rampage in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near rampage

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition