havoc

[ hav-uhk ]
See synonyms for: havochavockedhavocking on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.

verb (used with object),hav·ocked, hav·ock·ing.
  1. to work havoc upon; devastate.

verb (used without object),hav·ocked, hav·ock·ing.
  1. to work havoc: The fire havocked throughout the house.

Idioms about havoc

  1. cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.

  2. play havoc with,

    • to create confusion or disorder in: The wind played havoc with the papers on the desk.

    • to destroy; ruin: The bad weather played havoc with our vacation plans.

  1. wreak havoc. See entry at wreak havoc.

Origin of havoc

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English havok, from Anglo-French (in phrase crier havok “to cry havoc,” i.e., “utter the command havoc! ” as signal for pillaging), Middle French havot in same sense, from Germanic

synonym study For havoc

1. See ruin.

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

British Dictionary definitions for havoc

havoc

/ (ˈhævək) /


noun
  1. destruction; devastation; ruin

  2. informal confusion; chaos

  1. cry havoc archaic to give the signal for pillage and destruction

  2. play havoc (often foll by with) to cause a great deal of damage, distress, or confusion (to)

verb-ocs, -ocking or -ocked
  1. (tr) archaic to lay waste

Origin of havoc

1
C15: from Old French havot pillage, probably of Germanic origin

Collins 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

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.