havoc

noun hav·oc \ ˈha-vək , -vik \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of havoc

1 : wide and general destruction : devastation

A tornado wreaked havoc on the town two years ago.

2 : great confusion and disorder

the blackout caused havoc in the city

See havoc defined for English-language learners

See havoc defined for kids

Examples of havoc in a Sentence

The disease can play havoc with the body's immune system.
Several small children can create havoc in a house.

Recent Examples of havoc from the Web

Saquon Barkley: NFL Draft 2018 video profile Jackson also said at the meetings that he's envisioned Chubb wreaking havoc on quarterbacks opposite Myles Garrett.

— mary kay cabot, cleveland.com, "Saquon Barkley, Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick not among Browns' 30 draft visits or private workouts," 12 Apr. 2018
The 40-year-old Georgia resident lives with Cushing’s syndrome, a potentially deadly condition that causes high levels of the hormone cortisol to wreak havoc on a body.

— sarah jane tribble, Washington Post, "How A Drugmaker Turned The Abortion Pill Into A Rare-Disease Profit Machine," 10 Apr. 2018
The cold temperatures have wreaked havoc on spring activities.

— joseph spector, USA TODAY, "Happy Spring: Temperatures fell to 6 degrees in New York," 9 Apr. 2018
The guy took a team to the Super Bowl and continuously wreaked havoc on the NFC West and the league.

— carron j. phillips, San Antonio Express-News, "Manziel’s journey to sobriety could be the NFL’s biggest nightmare," 9 Apr. 2018
The 40-year-old Georgia resident lives with Cushing's syndrome, a potentially deadly condition that causes high levels of the hormone cortisol to wreak havoc on a body.

— sarah jane tribble, chicagotribune.com, "How an abortion pill turned out to be a treatment for a rare disease," 8 Apr. 2018
The guy took a team to the Super Bowl and continuously wreaked havoc on the NFC West and the league.

— tribune news service, NOLA.com, "Johnny Manziel's journey to sobriety could be the NFL's biggest nightmare," 7 Apr. 2018
The time Ellen and Britney Spears decided to wreak havoc on a shopping mall.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Definitive Proof That Ellen DeGeneres Is the True Queen of Pranks," 1 Apr. 2018
Crystal Gail Amerson thought Saturday’s dinner of General Tso’s chicken was wreaking havoc on her insides.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "She thought it was bad Chinese food. But her hospital take-out was an unexpected baby | Miami Herald," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'havoc.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of havoc

Middle English havok, from Anglo-French, modification of Old French havot plunder

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

havoc Synonyms

havoc

verb

Definition of havoc

havocked; havocking

transitive verb

: to lay waste : destroy

Recent Examples of havoc from the Web

So asking other states for help before Maria, which might have lined up resources for Puerto Rico more quickly, would have been an expensive undertaking without knowing for sure what havoc the storm would wreak.

— patricia mazzei and omaya sosa pascual, miamiherald, "How a slow response hurt Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria | Miami Herald," 19 Oct. 2017