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
For a creature that’s only the girth of a fingernail, the damage that quagga mussels wreak is outsize.
—
Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
This time, though, there's only one enemy to deal with – but by Cybertron, this murder machine wreaks bloody havoc on Alan Ritchson's 81 (he's only known by this callsign in the movie) and his team of Army Rangers in training!
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Such a move underlines Iran’s reliance on asymmetric warfare and the havoc these tactics could wreak even as the country is battered by US-Israeli airstrikes.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Playing as one of the two behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 3-4-2-1 Farke has settled on, Stach’s got the defensive steel to bulk up the engine room out of possession, but the guile and stamina to roam forward, wreaking chaos in attack.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wreak
Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
This time, though, there's only one enemy to deal with – but by Cybertron, this murder machine wreaks bloody havoc on Alan Ritchson's 81 (he's only known by this callsign in the movie) and his team of Army Rangers in training!
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Such a move underlines Iran’s reliance on asymmetric warfare and the havoc these tactics could wreak even as the country is battered by US-Israeli airstrikes.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Playing as one of the two behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 3-4-2-1 Farke has settled on, Stach’s got the defensive steel to bulk up the engine room out of possession, but the guile and stamina to roam forward, wreaking chaos in attack.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wreak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wreak
Verb
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There is also a growing body of credible evidence showing how EdTech inflicts emotional, cognitive, physical, and developmental harms on children, adolescents, and young adults, while displacing the human relationships that are essential to healthy human development and well-being.—
Dr. Timothy Scott,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
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Moss rejected that position, finding that the order nevertheless inflicted concrete harm and violated constitutional protections.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The state’s elder protection law, Section 415 of the Florida Statutes, allows adult protection workers to impose their own judgment on elders’ cases and place clients without court supervision.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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This means union officials cannot impose contract provisions that require workers to pay money to the union as a condition of getting or keeping a job, according to the foundation.—
Chase Jordan
April 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wreak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wreak. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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