mayhem

[ mey-hem, mey-uh m ]

/ ˈmeɪ hɛm, ˈmeɪ əm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR mayhem ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Law. the crime of willfully inflicting a bodily injury on another so as to make the victim less capable of self-defense or, under modern statutes, so as to cripple or mutilate the victim.

random or deliberate violence or damage.

a state of rowdy disorder: Antagonisms between the various factions at the meeting finally boiled over, and mayhem ensued.

Words nearby mayhem

mayflower, mayflower compact, mayfly, mayhap, mayhappen, mayhem, mayhew, maying, mayn't, maynard, mayo

Origin of mayhem

1350–1400; Middle English maheym, maim < Anglo-French mahe(i)m, mahaim < Germanic; akin to Middle High German meidem gelding, Old Norse meitha to injure. See maim

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mayhem

maim mayhem (see synonym study at maim)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mayhem

Trevor Austin, CEO of Finna Rage, denied responsibility for the mayhem in Keene.
Frat Culture Clashes With Riot Police at Keene, N.H., Pumpkin Festival|Melanie Plenda|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ex-MMA fighter Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller live-tweeted a standoff with police over domestic violence charges.
The MMA Fighters Have Gone Crazy: ‘Mayhem’ Miller the Latest in a Long Line of Psycho Pugilists|Robert Silverman|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rwanda and Ethiopia, symbols in the past of death and mayhem, are now among the fastest-growing economies in the world.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course there was mayhem there; the whole fight was delayed.
The Gonzo Artist: Behind Ralph Steadman’s Most Famous Work|Alex Suskind|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Come with me through 117 pages of euphemisms, bureaucracy, and mayhem.
Up to a Point: I Do My Own Taxes With No Help, Except From a Couple of Bloody Marys|P. J. O’Rourke|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It did not seem possible, Mayhem thought now, that a mistake could be made.
A Place in the Sun|C.H. Thames
Its funny, weve been working with Mayhem all these years and we never even met the guy.
A Place in the Sun|C.H. Thames
They went a hundred yards, Mayhem gripping the blaster and advancing by sheer effort of will.
World Beyond Pluto|C. H. Thames
The killings and house-burnings of an earlier day became the appeals of mayhem and arson.
The Common Law|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
There was no way, Mayhem knew, of making extensive repairs on Pluto.
World Beyond Pluto|C. H. Thames

British Dictionary definitions for mayhem

mayhem

maihem

/ (ˈmeɪhɛm) /

noun

law the wilful and unlawful infliction of injury upon a person, esp (formerly) the injuring or removing of a limb rendering him less capable of defending himself against attack

any violent destruction or confusion

Word Origin for mayhem

C15: from Anglo-French mahem injury, from Germanic; related to Icelandic meitha to hurt. See maim

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

mayhem

noun

Content related to mayhem

Words related to mayhem

Words nearby mayhem

Origin of mayhem

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mayhem

Examples from the Web for mayhem

British Dictionary definitions for mayhem

maihem

noun

Word Origin for mayhem