go haywire

1. To break down or cease to function properly: “Everything was going smoothly until the computer started to go haywire.”

Idioms and Phrases

Become wildly confused, out of control, or crazy. For example, The plans for the party have gone haywire , or His enemies accused the mayor of going haywire . This term alludes to the wire used for bundling hay, which is hard to handle and readily tangled. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Things simply go haywire outside the boundaries and cells (and people) die.

From The Daily Beast

Gallery: Blackballed Politicians, Celebrities, and Journalists Fox will undoubtedly go haywire over the dismissal.

From The Daily Beast

The power around here doesn't go haywire except in the winter, when trees fall across the lines.

From Project Gutenberg

If any of our plans go haywire, I would want to let you know.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• depart
• differ
• diverge
• vary
• veer