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
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This is what we’ve been told time and again, in movies and TV shows from Mommie Dearest and Carrie to Mad Men and The Sopranos, where the mother monster shows up in all her pill-popping, guilt-tripping, fright wig-wearing splendor to wreak havoc on her innocent children’s—and our—psyches.
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Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Finally, bear in mind the power that water has to wreak havoc.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
That’s wreaking havoc on public health.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2026
North Korea has thousands of conventional artillery pieces, which could wreak havoc on South Korea.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
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Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Finally, bear in mind the power that water has to wreak havoc.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
That’s wreaking havoc on public health.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2026
North Korea has thousands of conventional artillery pieces, which could wreak havoc on South Korea.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc
Cite this Entry
“Wreak havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreak%20havoc. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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