havoc

noun hav·oc \ ˈha-vək , -vik \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Examples: havoc in a Sentence

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

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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

Invasive hammerheads have been known to wreak havoc in their new homes.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Hammerhead Flatworms Have Been Quietly Invading France for Two Decades," 26 May 2018
Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc in southeast Texas last August, flooding countless homes and causing multiple deaths in its first days.

— mahita gajanan, Time, "2018 Is Going to Be Another Bad Hurricane Season. Here's What to Expect," 24 May 2018
The opioid crisis has shown us that prescription painkillers and their illicit counterparts can wreak havoc in American communities.

— karen kaplan, latimes.com, "Researchers tally the physical and financial costs of opioid painkillers' side effects," 23 May 2018
Although some cultures hold the macaques as sacred, many actually view them as pests that disrupt urban spaces and wreak havoc in cities.

— sarah bowman, Indianapolis Star, "New Macaque monkeys at Indianapolis Zoo known for swimming, diving and photo-bombing," 22 May 2018
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Richie could drain 3-pointers, create scoring opportunities off the dribble and, with that size, wreak havoc in the post.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Disabato: Bloom grad Austin Richie takes detour to Don Bosco on way to signing with Northern Illinois," 11 May 2018
To date, heavy rains have caused havoc in Kenya, killing 158 people and displacing 299,859, according to the government and Kenya Red Cross.

— thomas mukoya, Anchorage Daily News, "Dam on Kenyan flower farm bursts, killing scores," 10 May 2018
The 6-foot-2, 249-pounder added 22 quarterback hurries, one pass breakup and four forced fumbles while wreaking havoc in opposing backfields throughout the season.

— james crepea, AL.com, "Auburn's Tray Matthews signs with Minnesota Vikings," 28 Apr. 2018
This beetle, native to East Asia, has wreaked havoc in forests, nurseries, and orchards in Europe and the United States, and can attack more than 200 types of trees, Ranger says.

— National Geographic, "These Beetles Use Booze-Soaked Trees to Farm Their Food," 9 Apr. 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