wreak havoc

phrase

: to cause great damage
A powerful tornado wreaked havoc on the small village.
The virus wreaked havoc on my computer.

Examples of wreak havoc in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What makes this emptiness more bothersome is the cavalier way Wingard wields the imagery of rogue, militarized killers wreaking havoc on the American landscape. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 From the son’s trailer on the hillside, the two watched the water rise as Hurricane Frances wreaked havoc on Western North Carolina in early September 2004. Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026 Crosby didn’t play at all in the preseason, but wreaked havoc in practice. Sam Warren, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Today, a federal court halted it before this administration could wreak havoc on our elections. Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wreak havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreak%20havoc. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!