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:
A year on he returns to wreak his revenge.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 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
There’s also a winged pterodactyl that appears once in a while to wreak havoc.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
"Many deaths feared after strong earthquake wreaks havoc in southern Japan" says the paper in a separate headline, next to a birds-eye shot of a partially fallen bridge.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Along with the other confusion, the storm wreaks logistical havoc, too.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 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
The ERShares experience wreaks havoc with that idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
On him who scorned the world, as he said, the scorned world wreaks its revenge.
From Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson by Edna Henry Lee Turpin
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
Temperatures on Thursday were around 35C in the Kumamoto region, two days after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake wreaked major structural damage.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Windy conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier wreaked havoc with Sabalenka's powerful hitting and the Belarusian committed 57 unforced errors.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
It was a similar problem to what astronauts faced when they traveled in space; the journey wreaked havoc on the fragile internal balance of bones, muscles, and nerves.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
So many people I've spoken to in France since Saturday's riots emphasise the importance in making a clear distinction between angry but peaceful protestors, and those intent on wreaking violent havoc.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
That’s not to say all is flopping now for Zaslav and team: “Wuthering Heights” and Evil Dead Burn did pretty well, and the upcoming Dune: Part Three is already wreaking box-office havoc.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
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
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
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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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
