havoc

Havoc means chaos, disorder, or confusion. It can also mean destruction, damage, or ruin. In many cases, it refers to a combination of these things.

The phrase wreak havoc means to cause chaos or destruction or both. The phrases play havoc and raise havoc mean the same thing.

Havoc is associated with seriously destructive and chaotic situations, such as natural disasters, as in The hurricane caused havoc throughout the region. But it can be used in a range of situations. An illness can wreakhavoc on your body. A virus can cause havoc in a computer network. The wind can wreak havoc on your hair. In most cases, havoc causes a situation that was (at least somewhat) orderly to become disorderly, especially when there is damage or destruction involved.

The phrase cry havoc means to raise an alarm or give a warning.

Havoc can be used as a verb meaning to cause havoc or destroy, but this is rare.

Example: A major accident on the highway has wreaked havoc on the morning commute, causing traffic jams and delays for miles around.

The first records of the word havoc come from around the 1400s. It comes from the Old French havot, meaning “to pillage” (to violently loot and plunder a place, especially during a war). In Anglo-French, the spelling havok was used in the phrase crier havok, meaning “to cry havoc.” This refers to the practice of a military commander shouting “Havoc!” as a command to start pillaging.

Shakespeare uses it this way in Julius Caesar: “Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.” Eventually, cry havoc took on a new meaning: “to sound the alarm” (typically as a warning when something destructive is about to happen). Today, havoc is no longer closely associated with pillaging, but the chaos and destruction that happen when an invading army pillages a place is a perfect example of havoc.

What are some other forms related to havoc?

• havocked (past tense verb)
• havocking (continuous tense verb)
• havocker (noun)

What are some synonyms for havoc?

• chaos
• mayhem
• disorder
• destruction
• devastation
• ruin
• damage

What are some words that share a root or word element with havoc? 

• wreak havoc
• raise havoc
• play havoc
• cry havoc 

What are some words that often get used in discussing havoc?

• wreak
• create
• cause
• raise
• play
• cry
• storm
• economy
• environment

Havoc is used in the context of situations that involve chaos, destruction, and often both.

A fast-moving Hurricane Zeta is barreling northeast after causing havoc along the coast. https://t.co/OnOPmRuOmD

— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) October 29, 2020

Imagine a world where Windows updates didn’t wreak havoc on your audio settings

— Patrick Smith 🅙 (@TheSmithPlays) October 27, 2020

Election season can wreak havoc on our nerves. How are you coping with anxiety right now?

— Fast Company (@FastCompany) October 27, 2020

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of havoc?

A. calm
B. devastation
C. chaos
D. mayhem