amok
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to run amok
To act uncontrollably and violently against people or things while in an extreme psychological state, often with the intention to kill. The term describes the act itself.
Der Täter ist Amok gelaufen und hat mehrere Menschen verletzt.
The perpetrator ran amok and injured several people.
The word 'Amok' is used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'Amok laufen' (to run amok). It does not function like a normal noun and cannot simply be combined with an article or adjective.
Die Polizei wurde gerufen, weil ein Mann auf der Straße Amok lief.
The police were called because a man was running amok in the street.
In the expression 'Amok laufen' (to run amok), only the verb 'laufen' (to run) is conjugated and adjusted to the tense of the sentence. The word 'Amok' always remains unchanged.
Der Zeuge sagte aus, der Mann sei Amok gelaufen.
The witness stated that the man had run amok.
Important nouns that you often hear in the news are derived from the expression 'Amok laufen' (to run amok): 'der Amoklauf' (the attack/rampage) and 'der Amokläufer' (the attacker/rampage killer).
Der Amoklauf dauerte nur wenige Minuten.
The rampage lasted only a few minutes.
rampage
'der Amoklauf' and 'Amok' both relate to a very serious, uncontrolled act of violence. 'der Amoklauf' is the specific event in which a person attacks several people, often in a public place. 'Amok' is mainly used in the fixed expression 'Amok laufen' (to run amok) and describes the violent, uncontrolled action itself. Learners may confuse the words because they appear in the same news context. The more natural usage is: you speak of 'einem Amoklauf' as an event, but say 'jemand läuft Amok' for the action.
In dem Bericht heißt es, dass der Täter plötzlich Amok lief.
The report says that the perpetrator suddenly ran amok.
Nach dem Amoklauf sperrte die Polizei das ganze Gebiet ab.
After the rampage, the police blocked off the entire area.