go berserk

idiomatic phrase

1
: to become very angry and often violent
… the driver went berserk and started punching him when he told him they had called police.Rob Parascandola et al.
On one ski run, a teenage snowboarder nearly creamed a little girl, and [retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general Robin] Olds went berserk. The snowboarder took off with that old dogfighter hot on his tail …Ralph F. Wetterhahn
2
: to become very excited
The crowd was going berserk as the team scored with seconds to go.
My first day ashore at Hanna Point, I went berserk taking pictures of the chinstrap penguins.Vera Spooner

Examples of go berserk in a Sentence

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.
The value of his fortune surged by more than $50 billion in the week after the election, peaking at more than $320 billion, as investors went berserk for shares of Tesla. Simon Shuster, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024 When the Eva goes berserk, it’s revealed to have gnashing white teeth, a jawline that its armor previously hid and muzzled. Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024 As the Beautiful Freaks quintet goes berserk, one guitarist rubbing her instrument neck across front-row faithful to muster true fan-feedback, mid-yard a woman opens wings of electric light. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 18 Oct. 2024 When a dark van pulled up and Charli popped out, the 400 or so people crammed up the slope around the BRAT structure went berserk. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for go berserk 

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of go berserk was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near go berserk

Cite this Entry

“Go berserk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20berserk. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!