rampage

1 of 2

verb

ram·​page ˈram-ˌpāj 

(ˌ)ram-ˈpāj

rampaged; rampaging

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

Synonyms

Noun

• agitation
• deliriousness
• delirium
• distraction
• fever
• feverishness
• flap
• frenzy
• furor
• furore
• fury
• hysteria
• rage
• uproar

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

Verb

Berger's daughter Agam, a budding violinist, was kidnapped by Hamas a year ago Monday as the group rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and dragging 251 back to the Gaza Strip. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024

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

Noun

From there, Blair goes on a rampage when her dad brings home his new boyfriend, and Serena seeks the perfect gift for Dan. —Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024

Things took an intense turn in the finale when John and Jane were both convinced that the other had been instructed to kill them, leading them on a rampage through the streets of Manhattan. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024

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

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