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.
On April 24 during his PBR team series debut, Playmate went berserk in the bucking chute and the rider had to be helped off the raging bull. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 May 2025 During the second round of the 2025 PGA Championship, Lowry went berserk, wreaking havoc on the 8th fairway at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025 If this had happened on Biden's watch, Republicans would have rightly gone berserk. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 The range of bangers is wide enough to soundtrack the next few months of TikTok hype edits while also satisfying your millennial brother who fondly remembers going berserk to Waka Flocka Flame in college. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Go berserk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20berserk. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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