havoc

1 of 2

noun

hav·​oc ˈha-vək 

-vik

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

havoc

2 of 2

verb

havocked; havocking

transitive verb

: to lay waste : destroy

Synonyms

Noun

• hell
• chaos
• mess
• confusion
• jumble
• disorder

Examples of havoc in a Sentence

Noun

The disease can play havoc with the body's immune system.

Several small children can create havoc in a house.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The bacteria causing havoc for summer swimmers include E.coli and Enterococcus — nasty germs often found in the feces of people and animals. —Shreya Srinivasan, NBC news, 3 July 2025

Cilic was never in the contest because of a foot blister that was causing havoc with pain and movement, something that was imperative against the balletic Federer. —Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Verb

Even after hours of fast traveling, horseback riding, and slowly jogging from point A to point B, there were more quests to find, gear to loot, and havoc to wreak. —PC Magazine, 22 May 2025

Plankton: The Movie arrives exclusively on Netflix in 2025. 06 of 06 The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025) Next year SpongeBob returns to theaters with his fourth film, The Search for SquarePants, as Plankton wrecks havoc on Netflix. —Rendy Jones, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Verb

derivative of havoc entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1575, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing havoc

• cry havoc
• wreak havoc

Kids Definition

havoc

noun

hav·​oc

ˈhav-ək

1

: wide and general destruction

havoc caused by a tornado

2

: great confusion and disorder