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havoc
[ hav-uhk ]
noun
- great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.
Synonyms: , ,
verb (used with object)
- to work havoc upon; devastate.
verb (used without object)
- to work havoc:
The fire havocked throughout the house.
havoc
/ ˈ³ó汹ə°ì /
noun
- destruction; devastation; ruin
- informal.confusion; chaos
- cry havoc archaic.to give the signal for pillage and destruction
- play havocoften foll by with to cause a great deal of damage, distress, or confusion (to)
verb
- archaic.tr to lay waste
Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms
- ³ó²¹±¹Â·´Ç³¦°ì·±ð°ù noun
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of havoc1
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of havoc1
Idioms and Phrases
- cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.
- play havoc with,
- to create confusion or disorder in:
The wind played havoc with the papers on the desk.
- wreak havoc. wreak havoc.
More idioms and phrases containing havoc
see cry havoc ; play havoc .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
“It is hard to imagine how these tariffs would not wreak havoc upon the profit margins of major multinational corporations.â€
The hawk had been wreaking havoc in the village, which is on the edge of the Chiltern hills, even holding up the postal service.
And that's before the president announced "reciprocal" tariffs Wednesday that some Republican lawmakers fear will wreak havoc on both the economy and their standing among voters.
Shortly before the president's announcements, businessman Sir Tom Hunter told the BBC's Scotcast podcast that the push for tariffs didn't make sense to him and that it would "cause havoc".
And yet, this unelected billionaire oligarch continues to wreak havoc on as he reshapes the American constitutional order in the image of the CEO.
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More About Havoc
What doesÌýhavoc mean?
Havoc means chaos, disorder, or confusion. It can also mean destruction, damage, or ruin. In many cases, it refers to a combination of these things.
The phrase wreak havoc means to cause chaos or destruction or both. The phrases play havoc and raise havoc mean the same thing.
Havoc is associated with seriously destructive and chaotic situations, such as natural disasters, as in The hurricane caused havoc throughout the region. But it can be used in a range of situations. An illness can wreakhavoc on your body. A virus can cause havoc in a computer network. The wind can wreak havoc on your hair. In most cases, havoc causes a situation that was (at least somewhat) orderly to become disorderly, especially when there is damage or destruction involved.
The phrase cry havoc means to raise an alarm or give a warning.
Havoc can be used as a verb meaning to cause havoc or destroy, but this is rare.
Example: A major accident on the highway has wreaked havoc on the morning commute, causing traffic jams and delays for miles around.
Where doesÌýhavoc come from?
The first records of the word havoc come from around the 1400s. It comes from the Old French havot, meaning “to pillage†(to violently loot and plunder a place, especially during a war). In Anglo-French, the spelling havok was used in the phrase crier havok, meaning “to cry havoc.†This refers to the practice of a military commander shouting “Havoc!†as a command to start pillaging.
Shakespeare uses it this way in Julius Caesar: “Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.†Eventually, cry havoc took on a new meaning: “to sound the alarm†(typically as a warning when something destructive is about to happen). Today, havoc is no longer closely associated with pillaging, but the chaos and destruction that happen when an invading army pillages a place is a perfect example of havoc.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to havoc?
- havocked (past tense verb)
- havocking (continuous tense verb)
- havocker (noun)
What are some synonyms for havoc?
What are some words that share a root or word element with havoc?Ìý
What are some words that often get used in discussing havoc?
How isÌýhavoc used in real life?
Havoc is used in the context of situations that involve chaos, destruction, and often both.
A fast-moving Hurricane Zeta is barreling northeast after causing havoc along the coast.
— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews)
Imagine a world where Windows updates didn’t wreak havoc on your audio settings
— Patrick Smith 🅙 (@TheSmithPlays)
Election season can wreak havoc on our nerves. How are you coping with anxiety right now?
— Fast Company (@FastCompany)
Ìý
Try usingÌýhavoc!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of havoc?
A. calm
B. devastation
C. chaos
D. mayhem
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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