wreak
- to inflict or execute (punishment, vengeance, etc.): They wreaked havoc on the enemy.
- to carry out the promptings of (one's rage, ill humor, will, desire, etc.), as on a victim or object: He wreaked his anger on the office staff.
Origin of wreak
Synonyms
See more synonyms for wreak on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for wreaking
Contemporary Examples
Earlier that day, officials say, Stone went on a bloody rampage killing six of his kin and wreaking havoc in three small towns.
Brazilians may be famous for their beach bodies, but new wealth is wreaking havoc on their waistlines.
Meet the Chef Fighting to Ensure That Brazilians Will Never Be as Fat as AmericansBrandon Presser
June 25, 2014
Most of those drawn to both groups feel passionately that large forces beyond their control are wreaking havoc on their lives.
Wreaking havock by waging ideological warfare is neither the way to win elections nor something our party should desire.
But in fact the gun laws as currently enforced are stunningly lax and are wreaking havoc in Mexico.
Historical Examples
What satisfaction was there in wreaking revenge on a dead man?
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922Lucy Maud Montgomery
In some way she might yet be made to pay for what she had done in wreaking her vengeance on Pignaver.
StradellaF(rancis) Marion Crawford
Perhaps too often wreaking their vengeance on victims that might be innocent.
The Lone RancheCaptain Mayne Reid
It might keep Dave from wreaking his vengeance on the whole ship.
Bert Wilson, Marathon WinnerJ. W. Duffield
It must have been for the purpose of wreaking some injury on Merriwell as he slept.
Frank Merriwell's New ComedianBurt L. Standish
wreak
- to inflict (vengeance, etc) or to cause (chaos, etc)to wreak havoc on the enemy
- to express, or gratify (anger, hatred, etc)
- archaic to take vengeance for
Word Origin
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Word Origin and History for wreaking
wreak
v.
Old English wrecan "avenge," originally "to drive, drive out, punish" (class V strong verb; past tense wræc, past participle wrecen), from Proto-Germanic *wrekanan (cf. Old Saxon wrekan, Old Norse reka, Old Frisian wreka, Middle Dutch wreken "to drive, push, compel, pursue, throw," Old High German rehhan, German rächen "to avenge," Gothic wrikan "to persecute"), from PIE root *werg- "to work, to do" (cf. Lithuanian vergas "distress," vergas "slave;" Old Church Slavonic vragu "enemy;" Latin urgere; see urge (v.)). Meaning "inflict or take vengeance," with on, is recorded from late 15c.; that of "inflict or cause (damage or destruction)" is attested from 1817.