rampant

adjective

ram·​pant ˈram-pənt 

 also  -ˌpant

1

a

: rearing upon the hind legs with forelegs extended

b

: standing on one hind foot with one foreleg raised above the other and the head in profile

—used of a heraldic animal

2

a

: marked by a menacing wildness, extravagance, or absence of restraint

rampant rumors

b

: profusely widespread

rampant weeds

rampantly adverb

Illustration of rampant

• a lion rampant

Synonyms

• abandoned
• intemperate
• raw
• runaway
• unbounded
• unbridled
• unchecked
• uncontrolled
• unhampered
• unhindered
• unrestrained

Examples of rampant in a Sentence

a weed that's rampant in this area

the mayor promised to put a stop to the rampant crime that plagued the city

Recent Examples on the Web

More recently, China’s rampant overfishing of its own coastal waters has meant expanding fishing in the South China Sea and using fishing fleets to assert new territorial claims. —Bradley J. Cardinale, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2025

Economic piracy in Southeast Asia is especially rampant in the Strait of Malacca, a critical shipping channel off the coast of Malaysia. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025

School administrators failed to hold pro-terror mobs accountable for rampant antisemitism. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025

India sees heavy losses in power transmission across most states as infrastructure remains outdated, while leakages and theft are rampant. —Radhika Kak, Independent Researcher At Harvard Business School and Varad Pande, Partner At Bcg, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rampaunt, rampand, borrowed from Anglo-French rampant "crawling, rampant (in heraldry)," from present participle of ramper "to climb, rear up on the hind legs, creep" — more at ramp entry 4

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing rampant

• run rampant

Kids Definition

rampant

adjective

ram·​pant ˈram-pənt 

 also  -ˌpant

1

: standing on the hind legs like a horse rearing

2

: not checked in growth or spread

rumor ran rampant

rampantly adverb