1
as in hell
a state in which everything is out of order
computer network problems created havoc throughout the office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the powerful hurricane wreaked havoc all along the coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to ravage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of havoc
Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025
The film rocketed back in time to show the havoc the creature wreaked on a group of Native Americans in the Great Plains during the 18th century.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Rendy Jones, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024
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, 19 Oct. 2017
See All Example Sentences for havoc
Noun
Emotional devastation lingers in L.A. fire zones March 9, 2025
Questions of how people can donate their own cookbook collections to the cause are already pouring in; Now Serving hopes to organize donation drives in the future, perhaps for an event in July, six months from the fires’ havoc.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2025
The film rocketed back in time to show the havoc the creature wreaked on a group of Native Americans in the Great Plains during the 18th century.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
Plankton: The Movie arrives exclusively on Netflix in 2025.
06 of 06
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Next year SpongeBob returns to theaters with his fourth film, The Search for SquarePants, as Plankton wrecks havoc on Netflix.
—Rendy Jones, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024
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, 19 Oct. 2017
See All Example Sentences for havoc
Recent Examples of Synonyms for havoc
Noun
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The first is Lorraine Bracco’s Roberta, his mother’s best friend, a passionate Sicilian now raising hell in a nursing home.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
8 May 2025
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If this is the slow kind of hell, I’m used to it— My hands are folded the wrong way, the cat sits on the bed Like a limpet, the sun drops out of the sky, inexorable As a chandelier earring.—
Jane Yeh,
The New York Review of Books,
8 May 2025
Verb
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Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that ravages bone, leaving distinctive holes in its wake.—
David Armstrong,
CNN Money,
10 May 2025
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This is an inexperienced squad which has been ravaged by injuries.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Noun
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The evolution from physical boundaries to digital chaos to intentional system design shows us both the problem and the solution.—
Melissa Daimler,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Indeed, rebel violence and chaos weakened Uruguay's civilian government and helped pave the way for a 1973 coup that plunged the country into military dictatorship.—
John Otis,
NPR,
13 May 2025
Noun
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Now, some say artificial intelligence is ushering in a new era of creative destruction – but what exactly is being creatively destroyed, and what’s replacing it?—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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Significant destruction was reported in Grinnell, Kansas, where homes were flattened, roads blocked and vehicles overturned.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
Verb
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The Bucks likely wouldn’t stop there, perhaps looking to plunder young players such as Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis to flesh out a restart without Antetokounmpo.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 May 2025
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In 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the medieval statue of Our Lady of Walsingham (a classic Madonna and child) was plundered then lost to time.—
Lamorna Ash,
The Dial,
6 May 2025
Noun
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Watching people getting clobbered with mops, or Stitch making messes and starting fires at the open-air beach resort where Nani works — the funny’s diminished in live-action.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
21 May 2025
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This daily upkeep keeps messes manageable and prevents them from accumulating to an overwhelming level.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 May 2025
Noun
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The third and last lawyer was Kelsi Corkran, who represented individual families who are facing the loss of birthright citizenship, as well as immigrant advocacy groups.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
15 May 2025
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Rage, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss, hot flashes, itchy ears, inability to sleep, loss of libido, hair thinning, depression, weight gain, sore knees, night sweats, incontinence.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Hamas has acknowledged executing individuals accused of looting and announced a 5,000-member force to combat armed criminals.—
Juwayriah Wright,
Time,
19 May 2025
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All of the 37 public hospitals in Khartoum have been severely damaged and looted, Saad said.—
Emmanuel Akinwotu,
NPR,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/havoc. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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