wreak havoc

phrase

: to cause great damage

A powerful tornado wreaked havoc on the small village.

The virus wreaked havoc on my computer.

Examples of wreak havoc in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The prevailing theory is that Icelandic winters are notoriously variable, which wreaks havoc on the dormant phase of Arctic mosquitoes’ life cycle, killing eggs in unpredictable freezes and thaws. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Sep. 2026

Last week's storm wreaked havoc for small business owners at the Milford Farmers' Market, with many vendors losing most of their inventory. — Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

The Jones defense came up with a third-quarter goal-line stand, had seven sacks and added an interception, wreaking havoc on the Trojans’ offense in a 12-6 victory. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

What makes this emptiness more bothersome is the cavalier way Wingard wields the imagery of rogue, militarized killers wreaking havoc on the American landscape. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026