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
Hence the resumption of mayhem in Part 2.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Cue the mayhem, as the boys dash through the snow in a stranger’s car, run around London and freak out as a pack of wolves surround them in the woods.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Sep. 2025
The level of mayhem feels perfectly ripped from the films, especially the recent Daniel Craig tenure, although with some more ludicrous feats that harken back to the slapstick elements of earlier entries.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
From natural disasters to an unexpected death, the 74-acre private island in the British Virgin Islands has a history of mayhem.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Cue the mayhem, as the boys dash through the snow in a stranger’s car, run around London and freak out as a pack of wolves surround them in the woods.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Sep. 2025
The level of mayhem feels perfectly ripped from the films, especially the recent Daniel Craig tenure, although with some more ludicrous feats that harken back to the slapstick elements of earlier entries.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
From natural disasters to an unexpected death, the 74-acre private island in the British Virgin Islands has a history of mayhem.
—Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mayhem
Noun
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More than a dozen people faced criminal charges stemming from a melee after a rally in Soliman’s support; demonstrators and police blame each other for the violence July 17.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Experts have cautioned against tying mental health to acts of gun violence, and told ABC News that the narrative that people with mental illness are more violent than their peers is false; the majority of people who commit violence do not have a history of mental illness.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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More Ethan Miller/Getty Images Their history is defined by brutality.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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For a country still reckoning with the brutality of its dark past, the trial of several high ranking military officers in a civilian court is a singular achievement.—
Adriana Carranca,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Petry spent the last two seasons back in Michigan with the Detroit Red Wings, but injuries limited him to 44 games in the 2024-25 season.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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With 15 games remaining, Smith may not have enough time to rehab the injury and return for the end of the regular season.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Dallas police identified the suspect as Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, who is being held without bond on a charge of capital murder by terror threat.—
Nic F. Anderson,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps, though, Kubrick's cold view of Jack and choice to diminish some of King's sympathetic nuances serve to heighten the terror; how much does knowing the complex motivations of a domestic abuser help their victims?—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mayhem. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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