as in violence
actions that hurt people and destroy things; a scene or situation that involves a lot of violence
Movies seem to be filled with murder and mayhem these days. a criminal who escaped from prison and caused mayhem
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mayhem
That's when everything turned into mayhem.
—
Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
Naturally, the night soon descends into mayhem.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
The gruesome mayhem continues as another family member slips on some small toy cars left on the floor and cracks his head open on the corner of a piano.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
Benny’s absence is detectable in a few omissions, especially in scenes of mayhem and their aftermath which never get the attention of the police.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
Naturally, the night soon descends into mayhem.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
The gruesome mayhem continues as another family member slips on some small toy cars left on the floor and cracks his head open on the corner of a piano.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
Benny’s absence is detectable in a few omissions, especially in scenes of mayhem and their aftermath which never get the attention of the police.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mayhem
Noun
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Cruz and other Republicans argued the decision minimized the gravity of an attack on the judiciary and could encourage future political violence.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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The numbers mark a sharp reversal from a spike in violence during the worst years of the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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With much of the world horrified by the USSR’s brutality, Eisenhower was furious that the British-French-Israeli offensive was both diverting international attention and handing Moscow a PR victory by enabling it to speak about Western aggression in the Middle East.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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The 1986 film also included accounts by former conscripts who had been forced to participate in the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, making clear the hopelessness and brutality of the war, starkly contrasting with the Kremlin’s version of a war of progress and purpose.—
Will Tizard,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Braxton went down late in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury that kept him on the sideline for nearly a quarter.—
Michael Harley,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The other lives in New Jersey and is accused of talking about a potential terror attack in Boston during a livestream.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Esmé, along with many patrons and staff, experienced the terror and chaos of the event firsthand.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mayhem. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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