run wild
Escape all control
To run wild is to grow or behave without restraint or control.
Children run wild when left unsupervised.
A garden runs wild when untended, vegetation spreading unchecked.
Imagination or speculation runs wild when it ranges freely without discipline: Rumors ran wild after the announcement.
The phrase suggests natural energy or growth escaping the bounds normally imposed on it.
Wild after domestication
- undomesticatedNot bred for captivity
- roamTravel without fixed purpose
- roamingMoving without fixed purpose
- strayWander from course
loose · free-range · unleashed · uncaged · unchained · escape · wander · rampage
Unable to be restrained
- rampageViolent, destructive outburst
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
riot · rowdy · boisterous · raucous · misbehave · unmanageable · undisciplined · disobedient
Unwanted wild plants
- bramblesThorny wild shrubs
- thicketDense shrub cluster
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
- unkemptUntidy in appearance
neglected · sprawling · creeping · invasive · overrun · spreading · uncut · untended
Imaginative mental wandering
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- uninhibitedFree from self-censorship
- unfetteredFree from restriction
unbounded · limitless · soar · wander · freeform · unrestrained · inventive · visionary
Unconfirmed circulating stories
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- spiralCurve winding around center
- snowballCompressed winter precipitation
exaggerate · unsubstantiated · unchecked · unfounded · sensationalize · conjecture · unverified · viral
feral
Wild after domestication
- undomesticatedNot bred for captivity
- roamTravel without fixed purpose
- roamingMoving without fixed purpose
stray · loose · free-range · unleashed · uncaged · unchained · escape · wander · rampage · prowl
out of control
Unable to be restrained
- rampageViolent, destructive outburst
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- havocWidespread destruction and chaos
mayhem · riot · rowdy · boisterous · raucous · misbehave · unmanageable · undisciplined · disobedient · rebellious
weeds
Unwanted wild plants
unkempt · neglected · sprawling · creeping · invasive · overrun · spreading · uncut · untended · unmowed
fantasy
Imaginative mental wandering
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- daydreamConscious fantasy while awake
- uninhibitedFree from self-censorship
unfettered · unbounded · limitless · soar · wander · freeform · unrestrained · inventive · visionary · whimsy
rumors
Unconfirmed circulating stories
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- spiralCurve winding around center
snowball · exaggerate · unsubstantiated · unchecked · unfounded · sensationalize · conjecture · unverified · viral · spread
- risk phrasestake a chance, take a gamble, risk it all, go for broke, roll the dice
- releasefree, liberate, let go, unleash, release