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
Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Tariffs are creating havoc and panic for both customers and businesses.
—Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 15 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
Attorneys working on the $2.8 billion legal settlement designed to reshape college sports filed a brief Monday night that did not include changes a judge suggested regarding team roster limits, saying such a late change to that rule would create havoc.
—Eddie Pells, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Tariffs are creating havoc and panic for both customers and businesses.
—Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 15 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
-
It’s said that during the festival, the gates of hell open and ghosts visit earth.—
Gabino Iglesias,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
-
That a hell ant lived before that in what’s now Brazil means ants were already widely distributed across the planet at an early point in their evolution, the study authors noted.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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People stay at home and shop online, ravaging the streetscape of storefronts.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
18 Apr. 2025
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Earlier this year, Osment was among the thousands of Angelenos who lost their homes in the devastating wildfires that ravaged parts of Southern California in January.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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By The New York Times In the chaos, thousands of other gunmen arrived with a different agenda — targeting Alawites in a rampage of sectarian killings.—
Christina Goldbaum,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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From bold predictions about who's walking out with championship gold to sit-downs with WWE superstars on the verge of history, this preshow is serving as your all-access pass into the chaos, glory, and drama that makes WrestleMania the biggest spectacle in sports entertainment.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Faced with the raging wars of recent years, with their inhuman horrors and countless deaths and destruction, Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions.—
ABC NEWS,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2025
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From hurricanes to wildfires, the U.S. has endured 403 billion-dollar climate and weather disasters since 1980—leaving behind a trail of destruction that’s cost the country more than $2.9 trillion.—
Mindy Lubber,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
There is something perverse about a civilization that plunders its archives to build statues.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
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For decades, the terrorist group has plundered Gaza and sacrificed its people in pursuit of an unending messianic war to eliminate the Jewish state.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
And, just as quickly, they were derided for their tendency to disintegrate into a mushy mess.—
Hiroko Tabuchi,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Mona Sunset and Natural Runner Runners are great for hallways and kitchens where messes are inevitable.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Cunningham’s injuries, also extensive, were detailed in the lawsuit, including significant disfigurement, extensive surgical reconstruction and loss of mobility.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2025
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Under the budget plan, overall NASA funding would drop to about $20 billion, down from $24.9 billion in fiscal year 2024, a loss of about 20%.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In November 2024, the Associated Press reported that prices in Gaza skyrocketed after nearly 100 trucks of food and humanitarian aid were looted by armed men.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Archaeologists noted that many of the tombs had been looted centuries or possibly thousands of years earlier, but a few items survived.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/havoc. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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