haywire

[ hey-wahyuhr ]

noun

1. wire used to bind bales of hay.

adjective

, Informal.

1. in disorder:

   The town is haywire because of the bus strike.

2. out of control; disordered; crazy:

   The car went haywire. He's been haywire since he got the bad news.

haywire

/ ˈheɪˌwaɪə /

adjective

1. (of things) not functioning properly; disorganized (esp in the phrase go haywire )
2. (of people) erratic or crazy

Word History and Origins

Origin of haywire¹

First recorded in 1900–05; hay + wire

Word History and Origins

Origin of haywire¹

C20: alluding to the disorderly tangle of wire removed from bales of hay

Idioms and Phrases

see go haywire .

Example Sentences

As millennials rushed out of cities and back to their parents’ homes, the housing market went haywire.

From Ozy

When taste and smell begin to come back, they can go haywire.

From Popular-Science

For example, we now know that energy production in aging cells goes haywire.

From Singularity Hub 

Reexamine your regular routine, and if something seems haywire, make adjustments.

From Outside Online

The state system went haywire on Monday, several hours before the registration deadline, showing error messages and trapping people in user-verification pages that prevented them from completing and submitting their form.

From Washington Post

That conservatorship expired, however, this month and, almost immediately a source tells TMZ, “Things started going haywire.”

From The Daily Beast

“Every time a rocket was launched, my phone went haywire,” said Dor Eldar, a 22-year-old dance instructor from Tel Aviv.

From The Daily Beast

But then things went haywire on Sunday, and 21 separate shooting incidents occurred.

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

Wolf is about the American Dream gone haywire, so exaggeration is the name of the game.

From The Daily Beast

I said our air-conditioning system goes haywire and that we were ripping out a thousand old boilers and coolers.

From Project Gutenberg

"Just my imagination going a little haywire from it all, I fancy," he said.

From Project Gutenberg

"Yeah, my guns went haywire for some unknown reason," he said eventually.

From Project Gutenberg

Horses with patched civilian harness gave the transport the appearance of a "haywire outfit."

From Project Gutenberg

We can't know, of course, but if you were a warehouse clerk and a big rocket went haywire, wouldn't you be out watching it?

From Project Gutenberg