Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'haywire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The wire used in baling hay - haywire - is often used in makeshift repairs. This hurried and temporary use of haywire gave rise to the adjective haywire. When the adjective was first used in the early 20th century, it was primarily found in the phrase haywire outfit, which originally denoted a poorly equipped group of loggers and then anything that was flimsy or patched together. This led to a "hastily patched-up" sense, which, in turn, gave us the more commonly used meaning, "being out of order or having gone wrong." The "crazy" sense of haywire may have been suggested by the difficulty of handling the springy wire, its tendency to get tangled around legs, or the disorderly appearance of the temporary repair jobs for which it was used.
First Known Use: 1905
in the meaning defined at sense 1
See Words from the same yearSee words that rhyme with haywire Spanish Central: Translation of haywire Nglish: Translation of haywire for Spanish speakers
What made you want to look up haywire? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Name More Food!
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!
Take the quiz
Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?
Take the quiz
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
