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.
Idioms about wreak
wreak havoc. See entry at wreak havoc.
Origin of wreak
1Other words for wreak
Other words from wreak
- wreak·er, noun
Words that may be confused with wreak
- wreak , wreck
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wreak in a sentence
We know the fallout from the pandemic is wreaking havoc on women and their careers.
The pandemic is creating an ambition gap among working women | kristenlbellstrom | October 28, 2020 | FortuneLead poisoning is affecting children on a massive scale, silently wreaking havoc on their health and development, with possibly fatal consequences.
Lead poisoning affects 1 in 3 kids worldwide—but it’s not too late to act | jakemeth | October 23, 2020 | FortuneHacking the transport system or a central bank would wreak havoc and threaten public safety.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concern over how to pay for the reforms at a time when the pandemic has wreaked havoc on state finances.
Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Poor Residents. The Governor Wants Reform. | by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor | October 14, 2020 | ProPublicaThe researchers think the stalled movements wreak havoc on how the brain times incoming signals in the frontoparietal cortex, which controls inbound sensory and motor cues.
Earlier that day, officials say, Stone went on a bloody rampage killing six of his kin and wreaking havoc in three small towns.
We learned about ISIS – the “Islamic” State of Iraq and Syria, which is still wreaking havoc in the Middle East.
And as far as trolls go, ESPN is like Jotnar, the gargantuan mountain troll wreaking havoc in the Trollhunter films.
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 Americans | Brandon Presser | June 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMost of those drawn to both groups feel passionately that large forces beyond their control are wreaking havoc on their lives.
Government Shutdown Melodrama Won’t Matter on Election Day 2016 | Stuart Stevens | September 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere would be more sense in that, than in wreaking yourself here upon two wenches that have done you and your daughter no ill.
The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Volume 2, Illustrated | Sir Walter ScottIn its folly, it now forgot its other enemies, and fell to wreaking its madness on the lifeless victim.
In the Morning of Time | Charles G. D. RobertsBut the old woman dared not go on wreaking herself on the child Siss befriended.
Tales of Space and Time | Herbert George WellsSlowly, savagely, as though wreaking his suffering on some human thing, Everett tore the note into minute fragments.
Once Upon A Time | Richard Harding DavisThat he would command soldiers to rip open with the sword of war the bodies of women—wreaking vengeance on babes unborn?
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 6 (of 12) | Robert G. Ingersoll
British Dictionary definitions for wreak
/ (riːk) /
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
Origin of wreak
1wreak
Derived forms of wreak
- wreaker, noun
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
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