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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Recent Examples of mayhem
The rival gangs’ history of violence in the East Bay is well-documented, as is its history of turning festive celebrations into scenes of murder and mayhem.
—
Harry Harris, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Four members of the group become possessed by demons, forcing the fifth member (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of gory mayhem.
—Greg Crawford, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Stephen Curry is still weightless mayhem along the perimeter, and the 37-year-old dropped a scintillant 42, then 35 points on back-to-back nights last week.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
When morality clauses first appeared in Hollywood in the 1920s, they were meant to protect studios from scandal—actors getting drunk, producers getting indicted, the usual mayhem.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Harry Harris, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Four members of the group become possessed by demons, forcing the fifth member (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of gory mayhem.
—Greg Crawford, Freep.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Stephen Curry is still weightless mayhem along the perimeter, and the 37-year-old dropped a scintillant 42, then 35 points on back-to-back nights last week.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
When morality clauses first appeared in Hollywood in the 1920s, they were meant to protect studios from scandal—actors getting drunk, producers getting indicted, the usual mayhem.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mayhem
Noun
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According to a 2023 report from Human Rights Watch, millions of Bangladeshis faced political persecution during Hasina’s tenure, including arrests, prosecution, and violence.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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This attack is the latest in a surge of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, which have been taking place on a near-daily basis since mid-October.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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 15 Nov. 2025.
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