Adjective "havoc" definition and examples




Definitions and examples


Widespread destruction.
  1. 'Marcellus was struck down sick and incapacitated when a galactic storm struck the outer planets, creating destruction and havoc.'
  2. 'With that, the fight broke loose, along with pure havoc and destruction.'
  3. 'But the championship got off to an inauspicious start with the tsunami wreaking havoc on the Kollam coast on the inaugural day.'
  4. 'A tornado is a funnel-shaped cloud that descends on land, creating havoc and destruction in its wake.'
  5. 'Ivan tore through Grenada last year, wreaking havoc and taking with it lives, homes and livestock.'
  6. 'The AIDS epidemic is wreaking havoc in sub-Saharan Africa.'
  7. 'Yesterday afternoon's heavy downpour and hail here caused havoc and widespread powercuts across the province.'
  8. 'It is obvious that if foxes were a serious threat to agriculture, half a million of them would cause devastation and havoc.'
  9. 'On that fateful night a disastrous landslide wreaked havoc on their scenic community.'
  10. 'Windows have been smashed, paving pulled up, shop staff intimidated and telephone boxes destroyed as yobs caused havoc in the Thornhill area of the city.'
  11. 'if they weren't at school they'd be wreaking havoc in the streets'
  12. 'It appears that the beast has escaped, and is again wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting residents of Bucharest.'
  13. 'Her family work as daily labourers and a day off can wreak havoc for the family's economy.'
  14. 'In this one, she's a scientist trying to deal with an enormous octopus wreaking havoc in San Francisco.'
  15. 'Off-road bikers wreaking havoc are being warned that police could soon have the power to confiscate their machines.'
  16. 'The novel deals with a small band of ‘radicals’ who try to stir up revolt in a small town and end up wreaking havoc.'
  17. 'He said a gang of about 30 teenagers have been causing havoc for the past six months.'
  18. 'My mother-in-law is mentally ill and wreaking havoc on our marriage.'
  19. 'But the group insists that the size of the development is too large for the conservation area and would bring traffic havoc to already congested lanes.'
  20. 'The black striped mussel has caused millions of dollars worth of damage to marine industries around the world, and can cause havoc for shipping.'
  21. 'A series of lightning strikes in the North and the South-East have been wreaking havoc with supply.'


Lay waste to; devastate.
  1. 'The lack of participants is associated to a large storm that havocked Latvia in January 2005 and uprooted and destroyed large forest areas.'

More definitions




4. cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.

5. play havoc with, to create confusion or disorder in: The wind played havoc with the papers on the desk. to destroy; ruin: The bad weather played havoc with our vacation plans.

More examples(as adjective)

"rains can be havoc with schedules."

"weathers can be havoc with crops."

"scandals can be havoc with aspirationses."

"impositions can be havoc with valuations."

"downpours can be havoc with trainings."

More examples++


Late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French havok, alteration of Old French havot, of unknown origin. The word was originally used in the phrase cry havoc ( Old French crier havot) ‘to give an army the order havoc’, which was the signal for plundering.


play havoc with