1
a
: a state of utter confusion
the blackout caused chaos throughout the city
b
: a confused mass or mixture
a chaos of television antennas
2
a
often capitalized
: a state of things in which chance is supreme
especially
: the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms compare cosmos
b
: the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system (such as the atmosphere, boiling water, or the beating heart)
Synonyms
Examples of chaos in a Sentence
The loss of electricity caused chaos throughout the city.
When the police arrived, the street was in total chaos.
The country had descended into economic chaos.
Recent Examples on the Web
The perception of chaos at the border has weighed down the public’s view of how Biden does his job: Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approve of how he’s handled immigration issues, according to YouGov polls for the Economist.
—
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2024
The thin blue line is a symbol that represents the police officers who separate order from chaos, according to Thin Blue Line USA, a company that sells merchandise featuring the flag supporting law enforcement, veterans and first responders.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 7 June 2024
In the chaos of it all, a Russian drone, its ominous silhouette barely discernible against the darkened sky, zeroed in on the boat.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024
Universal’s announcement comes shortly before the premiere of the film franchise’s prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One (in theaters June 28), which takes place on the very first day the creatures arrived on Earth and unleashed absolute chaos in New York City.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaos 
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2024
The thin blue line is a symbol that represents the police officers who separate order from chaos, according to Thin Blue Line USA, a company that sells merchandise featuring the flag supporting law enforcement, veterans and first responders.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 7 June 2024
In the chaos of it all, a Russian drone, its ominous silhouette barely discernible against the darkened sky, zeroed in on the boat.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 June 2024
Universal’s announcement comes shortly before the premiere of the film franchise’s prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One (in theaters June 28), which takes place on the very first day the creatures arrived on Earth and unleashed absolute chaos in New York City.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for chaos
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chaos.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chaos
Cite this Entry
“Chaos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaos. Accessed 15 Jun. 2024.
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