wreak
Americanverb (used with object)
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wreaks,
present (3rd person singular)
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wreaked,
past participle, past
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wreaking
present participle
idioms
verb
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to inflict (vengeance, etc) or to cause (chaos, etc)
to wreak havoc on the enemy
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to express, or gratify (anger, hatred, etc)
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archaic to take vengeance for
Usage
What’s the difference between wreak and reek? Wreak means to inflict or carry out something, especially something harmful—it’s most commonly used in the phrase wreak havoc, meaning to cause chaos or destruction or both. Reek most commonly means to give off a strong, unpleasant odor, as in Your socks reek, dude. While wreak is only ever used as a verb, reek can also be used as a noun meaning a strong, unpleasant smell, though this use is much less common. Wreak is always used with an object, usually some negative effect, as in The storm is expected to wreak destruction throughout the region. Reek usually functions without an object, though in some cases it is followed by the word of and the particular smell, as in It reeks of onions in here. This is also the case when reek is used in a more figurative way meaning to be penetrated or saturated with something negative, as in This case reeks of corruption. Wreak and reek are pronounced exactly the same, so it can be hard to remember which one is which, but you can remember that wreak begins with a w because it is often used in the context of things getting wrecked. Here’s an example of wreak and reek used correctly in the same sentence. Example: I like cooking with leeks, but my wife thinks they reek and says they wreak havoc on her ability to smell anything else. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between reeking and wreaking.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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wreaksimple
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wreakssimple
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have wreakedperfect
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has wreakedperfect
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am wreakingprogressive
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are wreakingprogressive
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is wreakingprogressive
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have been wreakingperfect progressive
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has been wreakingperfect progressive
Past
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wreakedsimple
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had wreakedperfect
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was wreakingprogressive
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were wreakingprogressive
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had been wreakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wreak
First recorded before 900; Middle English wreken, Old English wrecan; cognate with German rächen “to avenge,” Old Norse reka “to drive, avenge,” Gothic wrikan “to persecute”; akin to Latin urgēre “to drive, push”
Explanation
To wreak is to cause something to happen, usually with a terrible consequence. You can make mischief, cause problems, or inflict pain, but to wreak damage suggests a deeper level of destruction. Wreak stems from the Old English wrecan, meaning "to avenge." Its current meaning, that of causing something to happen — usually with dire consequences — came about in the 19th century. The word is a transitive verb, often paired with the equally intense havoc, meaning "devastation."
Vocabulary lists containing wreak
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was one of several fires to wreak havoc in the region this week, where powerful downslope Santa Ana winds met with warm temperatures and dried vegetation that was primed to burn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
Who would suspect a frumpy matron in a humble sweater could wreak such unhinged havoc?
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
The local leader pointed to warnings that El Nino's effects will worsen into the winter and are expected to wreak more havoc along California's coast.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
The disruptions it could wreak on everything from air travel to farming preview what a normal year may look like decades from now if carbon emissions continue unabated.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
“We really wreak havoc on the heavens, don’t we?”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
At least 18 states have issued air quality alerts, as they should, because wildfire smoke wreaks havoc on the body, from the brain to the heart and lungs to the kidneys.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
It is a scene that is repeating itself in airports across the region as war in the Middle East wreaks havoc on global travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Garin said earlier this week that the archipelago nation also planned to boost the output of its coal-fired power plants to keep electricity costs down as the war wreaks havoc with gas shipments.
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
Their exposure often wreaks personal and professional harm on their students, whose associations with a now-tainted mentor can jeopardize their academic careers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2025
What strife, what tempest, wreaks its wrath in vain?
From Elias An Epic of the Ages by Orson F. Whitney
The storm also wreaked havoc on telegraph networks around the world.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
The deer have wreaked havoc on native species as they eat fire-resilient chaparral and other native plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The shock has wreaked havoc with Florida-based Mosaic, the dominant publicly listed phosphate producer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Dart fought back from a set down to beat Liudmila Samsonova 5-7 6-4 6-3 in one of only three matches completed on Monday as the rain wreaked havoc with the schedule.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
“I am not some inconsequential lackey the Bureau can bully for information. You can either accept or you can leave empty-handed whilst utter chaos is wreaked upon your precious Bureau.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Plus, Kevin Warsh is putting a September rate hike in play, and the strongest El Niño in a generation is wreaking havoc on the global economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
Meanwhile in Hubei province, at least two tornadoes have formed, wreaking havoc across cities.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Yerson Granados used to fish off Colombia's Caribbean coast for a living, but when he discovered the havoc he was wreaking on coral reefs, he changed his ways.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
And they were unaware, or unconcerned, that that chemical was wreaking havoc on the soil, weakening the trees’ defenses, leaving them extremely vulnerable to disease.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
During this time, just northwest of our village, a ferocious black rhino began wreaking terror across the land.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
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