havoc
great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.
to work havoc: The fire havocked throughout the house.
Idioms about havoc
cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.
play havoc with,
to create confusion or disorder in: The wind played havoc with the papers on the desk.
wreak havoc. See entry at wreak havoc.
Origin of havoc
1synonym study For havoc
Other words for havoc
Other words from havoc
- hav·ock·er, noun
Words Nearby havoc
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use havoc in a sentence
Those ejections can wreak havoc on satellites or power grids when they strike Earth.
Check out the first-ever map of the solar corona’s magnetic field | Lisa Grossman | August 21, 2020 | Science NewsIn addition to the market chaos that’s played havoc with returns this year, the investor has been dragged into a political debacle over the appointment of its new CEO, hedge-fund manager Nicolai Tangen.
The world’s largest wealth fund has lost $21 billion so far this year | kdunn6 | August 18, 2020 | FortuneThe pandemic has wreaked havoc on small businesses while at at the same time accelerated consumers’ shift to digital and the business need for digital transformation.
Social Shorts: TikTok’s future, Quora lead-gen ads, Facebook’s India plans | Ginny Marvin | August 3, 2020 | Search Engine LandOn defense, Bonga creates havoc with both steals and blocks, and the Wizards play more like a competent NBA defense with him on the court, a huge bonus for the league’s worst defensive team.
The Players To Watch On The NBA Teams Just Trying To Hang Around | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | July 30, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe expanded postseason has given them another path to make the playoffs — and a chance to create havoc once there.
The Winners And Losers In MLB’s New Playoff Format | Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com) | July 24, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Earlier that day, officials say, Stone went on a bloody rampage killing six of his kin and wreaking havoc in three small towns.
In the later stages of the war, the American-made Stinger missile was introduced and wreaked havoc among the Soviet helicopters.
CIA Agents Assess: How Real Is ‘Homeland’? | Chuck Cogan, John MacGaffin | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe mother also made a plea to the violent ones who wreak such havoc.
11 Children Shot in Milwaukee, One in Her Grandpa's Lap | Michael Daly | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy the time the maids got back from the shore, peacocks had wrecked havoc on the waiting food.
The Fox miniseries 24: Live Another Day saw a massive drone wreak havoc on London.
Ethan Hawke's 'Good Kill': A Searing Indictment of America's Drone Warfare Obsession | Marlow Stern | September 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey must be kept away from flies—a fly can work havoc with a film in a few minutes.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThe laughing happy country girl—what havoc a few hours has made in that gay warm heart!
The World Before Them | Susanna MoodieI have known them arrive in early autumn, and do great havoc amongst the apples, which they cut up to get at the pips.
Birds of Guernsey (1879) | Cecil SmithTheir borders you have wasted, and you have made great havoc in the land, and have got the dominion of many places in my kingdom.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousBut, before the equinox, disease began to make fearful havoc in the little community.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
British Dictionary definitions for havoc
/ (ˈhævək) /
destruction; devastation; ruin
informal confusion; chaos
cry havoc archaic to give the signal for pillage and destruction
play havoc (often foll by with) to cause a great deal of damage, distress, or confusion (to)
(tr) archaic to lay waste
Origin of havoc
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with havoc
see cry havoc; play havoc.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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