haywire

[ hey-wahyuh r ]

/ ˈheɪˌwaɪər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR haywire ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

wire used to bind bales of hay.

adjective Informal.

in disorder: The town is haywire because of the bus strike.

out of control; disordered; crazy: The car went haywire. He's been haywire since he got the bad news.

Words nearby haywire

hays, hayseed, haystack, hayti, hayward, haywire, haywood, hayworth, hazan, hazara, hazard

Origin of haywire

First recorded in 1900–05; hay + wire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for haywire

The debate about entitlements has been haywire in Washington for years.
Mr. Reasonable's Last Stand|Michael Tomasky|April 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His latest film, Haywire, features a world-famous martial-arts fighter (29-year-old Gina Carano) as a spy on the run.
Flick Picks: Does ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’ Exploit 9/11?|Ramin Setoodeh, Peter Travers|January 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
However, they might just as well have tried to pick off a haywire comet rushing down at them.
Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal|Robert Sydney Bowen
"Right on course, unless those instruments are haywire, which of course they're not," he murmured.
Dave Dawson at Casablanca|Robert Sydney Bowen

Horses with patched civilian harness gave the transport the appearance of a "haywire outfit."
The Story of the "9th King's" in France|Enos Herbert Glynne Roberts
It seems their equipment has been haywire for two days, they haven't been able to get through.
Moon Glow|G. L. Vandenburg
"Our haywire battery connections are gone," shouted McCready.
The Solar Magnet|Sterner St. Paul Meek

British Dictionary definitions for haywire

haywire

/ (ˈheɪˌwaɪə) /

adjective (postpositive) informal

(of things) not functioning properly; disorganized (esp in the phrase go haywire)

(of people) erratic or crazy

Word Origin for haywire

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

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