wreak havoc

idiom

: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As multiple wildfires like the Eaton blaze and the Palisades fire wreaked havoc across Southern California in January, fears over neighborhoods being destroyed were compounded by confusion over which areas of Los Angeles County were actually under evacuation warnings. Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2025 Where, in a far-off future land, a rogue mechanical Robot Carnival machine wreaks havoc and destruction across a battered desert landscape. Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025 Weather conditions on the Grand Canyon's North Rim continued to wreak havoc on fire crews battling the Dragon Bravo Fire, which has burned for nearly a month. Michelle Cruz, AZCentral.com, 29 July 2025 What scholars do know is that France’s invasion of the Netherlands in 1672 wreaked havoc on the country’s art market—and on Vermeer’s livelihood. Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wreak havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreak%20havoc. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!