as in to inflict
to cause to suffer punishment or vengeance for
wreaked their vengeance on those they considered enemies
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Recent Examples of wreak
History is littered with examples of the havoc wreaked by politicians’ will to power.
—
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
While people’s claims history, inflation, higher labor and construction costs play into increases nationwide, Coloradans face the additional burden of living in a state where the risk is high of catastrophes wreaking billions of dollars in damage.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Texas Tech started slow in Manhattan, but the dam eventually broke due to Tech’s havoc-wreaking defense.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The real reason is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible, or at least that’s what we’re given to believe from the way the hostess swans about while deftly manipulating dozens of puppet strings simultaneously.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wreak
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025
While people’s claims history, inflation, higher labor and construction costs play into increases nationwide, Coloradans face the additional burden of living in a state where the risk is high of catastrophes wreaking billions of dollars in damage.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Texas Tech started slow in Manhattan, but the dam eventually broke due to Tech’s havoc-wreaking defense.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The real reason is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible, or at least that’s what we’re given to believe from the way the hostess swans about while deftly manipulating dozens of puppet strings simultaneously.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wreak
Verb
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Adding to that, the player inflicting the most damage was former Brentwood standout Shalen Sheppard.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Advertisement Think smart regulation, not more regulation The dealmaking bonanza on Wall Street since Biden Administration officials left office offers a reasonable gauge of the damage inflicted when regulatory agencies are captured by ideology.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Leaders from countries that imposed sanctions often say that the measures are intended to bring pressure on the government and leaders of Iran.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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But scenes like this continue to tell a different story as Iran's leadership only tightens its grip, including imposing a sweeping communications blackout that has seen the internet cut and international calls blocked.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wreak. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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