chaoscha‧os /ˈkeɪ-ɒs $ -ɑːs/ ●●○ noun [uncountable] 
The country was plunged into economic chaos.complete/utter/absolute etc chaos There was total chaos on the roads.in chaos The kitchen was in chaos.2the state of the universe before there was any orderCOLLOCATIONSverbscause/create/bring chaos· Snow has caused chaos on the roads this morning.end in chaos· The game ended in chaos with thunder and heavy rain.be thrown/plunged into chaos· A serious accident has thrown the roads into chaos.descend/slip into chaos (=gradually become completely confused and disorganized)· After the invasion, the country lapsed into chaos.be on the brink of chaos (=to be about to become completely confused and disorganized)· The peace talks were on the brink of chaos.chaos ensues (=it happens as a result of something)· A decade of civil war and chaos ensued.chaos reigns (=it happens)· Everyone was trying to talk at once and for a while chaos reigned.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + chaostotal/complete chaos· When we arrived, there was total chaos.utter chaos (=total chaos)· After the party, the whole house was in utter chaos.economic/political/social etc chaos· Afterwards there was widespread famine and economic chaos.traffic chaos (=when there are a lot of vehicles on the roads and they cannot move)· The first day of the school holidays brought traffic chaos to the roads.phrasesa state of chaos· Nick's bedroom is permanently in a state of chaos.a scene of chaos· I came home to a scene of chaos, with food and empty bottles everywhere.chaos and confusion· Heavy flooding has created chaos and confusion throughout the country.
WORD ORIGINchaos
Origin:
1400-1500 Latin, GreekEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- I arrived home unexpectedly and found the house in chaos.
- Passengers spoke of complete chaos as the fire spread through the ship.
- The earthquake caused widespread chaos throughout the region.
- We've just moved into the new office and I've no idea where anything is - it's chaos!
- When McNamara got the job, the department was in chaos.
- Zbitski said the reform coalition must find a way to steer the country out of its political and economic chaos.
- A more ruthless woman would have let the whole place slide into chaos until he learned to do things for himself.
- Bookings, reservations, staffing ... just about everything, they claimed, was in a state of total chaos.
- Gnarled old men ignore the chaos sipping coffee and chatting with fishermen as they untangle their nets.
- I went to rejoin the train and it was utter chaos.
- Such parliamentary chaos is not a symptom of underlying social disorder.
- The executive transporter bay was a chaos of foam and whirling shapes which might or might not have been armed troopers.
- The half-solution created electoral chaos, with some black representatives voting against it.
- Thousands of pounds worth of smoke and water damage reclaiming the family home from chaos.
Longman Language Activatora disorganized situation
a situation in which everything or everyone seems to be extremely disorganized or completely out of control: · The earthquake caused widespread chaos throughout the region.in chaos: · When McNamara got the job, the department was in chaos.complete/utter/total etc chaos: · Passengers spoke of complete chaos as the fire spread through the ship.political/social/economic etc chaos: · Zbitski said the reform coalition must find a way to steer the country out of its political and economic chaos.
formal a situation in which things are disorganized or untidy, or people are disorganized and out of control: in disorder: · After several hours of fierce fighting, the rebel troops retreated in disorder.· The entire apartment was in disorder, but nothing seemed to have been stolen.civil/social/public disorder: · The country's civil war came at the end of a long period of social disorder.
a situation in which no one is sure what is happening and there is a lot of noise and activity: · The bombers escaped in the confusion following the explosion.· We made our way through the noise and confusion of the marketplace to our hotel.
when things are spread around in a messy way when things are spread around everywhere in a dirty, untidy way: · We spent the morning tidying up the mess after the party.· There were cups and ashtrays everywhere - what a mess!· We love having our grandchildren visit, but they always leave such a mess for us to clean up.
when everything is very untidy, nothing is organized, and there is no order or system: · We've just moved into the new office and I've no idea where anything is - it's chaos!in chaos (=in a state of chaos): · I arrived home unexpectedly and found the house in chaos.
when a lot of things have been left together in one place, especially unnecessary things that prevent you from moving around easily: · It seemed impossible for her to keep the house free of clutter.clutter of: · On the dresser a clutter of compacts, rouges, and lipsticks lie half open.
informal a place that is very messy or dirty: · I'd invite you in, but my place is a disaster.· The kids room is always a disaster area.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs his descent into drug abuseCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· Snow has caused chaos on the roads this morning.
· The game ended in chaos with thunder and heavy rain.
· A serious accident has thrown the roads into chaos.
(=gradually become completely confused and disorganized)· After the invasion, the country lapsed into chaos.
(=to be about to become completely confused and disorganized)· The peace talks were on the brink of chaos.
(=it happens as a result of something)· A decade of civil war and chaos ensued.
(=it happens)· Everyone was trying to talk at once and for a while chaos reigned.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + chaos· When we arrived, there was total chaos.
(=total chaos)· After the party, the whole house was in utter chaos.
· Afterwards there was widespread famine and economic chaos.
(=when there are a lot of vehicles on the roads and they cannot move)· The first day of the school holidays brought traffic chaos to the roads.
phrases· Nick's bedroom is permanently in a state of chaos.
· I came home to a scene of chaos, with food and empty bottles everywhere.
· Heavy flooding has created chaos and confusion throughout the country.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES· A bomb scare brought chaos to the town centre yesterday.
· Floods caused chaos across much of the country.
his descent into drug abuse· Upon reflection, we might wonder why such an economy does not collapse in complete chaos.
· Drastic, unprepared liberalisation can lead to economic chaos, as in the Ivory Coast in 1988.· Unhealthy organizations, however, use cost justification as an after-the-fact means of tidying up economic chaos.· The country was plunged into economic chaos.
· In a country that has seen six presidents in five years, political chaos is taken for granted.· The parasite has been nurtured by abject poverty, intermittent political chaos and, some charge, international indifference.
· The Callaghan government never recovered from the sense of ungovernability and social chaos heralded by the winter of discontent.· If jobs are not created to take up the people who are coming off of welfare, social chaos is the result.· Underlying the disquiet was a strong current of belief that the act of going tieless was tantamount to social chaos!
· World heavyweight boxing ends the year much as it started this year and almost every other year - in total chaos.· He kept our family in total chaos.· Soon the system was in total chaos.· Bookings, reservations, staffing ... just about everything, they claimed, was in a state of total chaos.· Britain's in for five years of total chaos and the middle-classes will soon be taking to the streets.· I mean there was total chaos.· Her nerve-ends in total chaos, Robbie could hardly believe this was really happening, this shivering delight.
· But when she entered the house, she was confronted by a scene of utter chaos.· I went to rejoin the train and it was utter chaos.· It looked like utter chaos to me, but organised chaos.· She sat on the bed looking at the utter chaos around her.
NOUN· They've talked about Mondo 2000, virtual raves, about smart drugs and new psychedelics, about chaos theory and fractals.· Or perhaps chaos theory provides a more effective meaning-making metaphor.· Their true story spans chaos theory, something called strange attractors and the inner marvels of microprocessors.· Contemporary chaos theory talks about so-called strange attractors, which are the ordering principles within such apparently random patterns.· Fractals, quarks and chaos theory share space with morphic resonance, channelling and UFO-lore.· Such people often see their lives more effectively framed by the reality metaphors that modern quantum physics and chaos theory provide.
· No one was seriously injured, but M4 Westbound was closed bringing traffic chaos.· To all the critics who have predicted traffic chaos Labour councillor Jim Skinner has the same reply.· He was reading a newspaper, apparently oblivious to the contribution he was making to the traffic chaos.· He accepts that Skinnergate should be pedestrianised to stop the traffic chaos.· The West End suffered traffic chaos.· Elsewhere thousands of commuters avoided traffic chaos by staying at home.· Cracking up ... bridge closure causes traffic chaos.
VERB· No one was seriously injured, but M4 Westbound was closed bringing traffic chaos.· Lewis, through collective bargaining, brought order out of chaos.· Human beings have themselves been responsible for bringing chaos and pain back to a world of ordered beauty.· Under water:Flash floods and blizzards bring winter chaos.· They are immigrants who travel across the world breaking down the moral order, bringing chaos to organized society.· The Bible beginning is a beautiful, purposeful design, bringing order out of chaos.
· With her catapult and her shop lifting, Jake causes chaos.· Diverted traffic has been causing chaos on roads.· Currently highways authorities and main services providers are allowed to cause chaos by digging up roads whenever and wherever they wish.· Flooding and snow cause chaos Flooding and snow have caused chaos in much of the Central South area.· This not only causes chaos, but is also a waste of water and causes pollution.· I caused chaos, too, in the Houlton Silver Band, who were hoisting their instruments prior to marching off.· But some fear it will cause chaos in the town centre and disrupt local trade.· With large groups, however, this method can cause chaos at the reception desk. 2.
· But dad John Watts makes sure all his 12 children take their turn and controls the chaos.· Both conveyed an unmistakable impression of a just-barely-controlled chaos.· Everywhere, the atmosphere is one of controlled chaos.
· The right faction wants to create tension and chaos, said Karem Korbanzadeh.· The half-solution created electoral chaos, with some black representatives voting against it.· It will still create administrative chaos.· The donors themselves help to create the chaos.· This allows healthy growth whereas imbalance creates illness and chaos.· His message was to strike, disrupt, riot, and create chaos until the Shah was forced to abdicate.· What would that do except create chaos?
· Fernandez was hired to end 20 years of chaos caused by decentralising New York's huge school system.· Fed up, Harrison walked out and the sessions ended in chaos.
· Drastic, unprepared liberalisation can lead to economic chaos, as in the Ivory Coast in 1988.· Change without unity would lead to disruption and chaos.· They especially object to the insistence that the polling be nonpartisan, saying this will lead to chaos and excessively personalized competition.
· To his supporters, Rawlings remains an incorruptible savior and pragmatist who kept the country from plunging into chaos.· The country was plunged into economic chaos.· Apparently Merton College had refused to take northern students and Oxford had been plunged into chaos and riot.
· Here, such is the pace of change, it seems rather that wholesale chaos occasionally results in selective progress.· These myths justify male control as necessary to prevent the supposed chaos that results when women take control.
· Emergencies were declared in 12 states and transport links thrown into chaos.· He briefly dissolved Congress in 1992 to successfully fight two guerrilla insurgencies that had thrown the country into chaos.· Of course there will have to be a register: otherwise, the system will be thrown into chaos.· Now the ruling, which could open the way for new prosecutions, has thrown the issue into chaos.· Antonio plays a character whose life is thrown into chaos by Angelina's femme fatale.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1a situation in which everything is happening in a confused way and nothing is organized or arranged in order: - Advancing on a narrow front, the bristling schiltrons threw their opponents into confusion on such unfamiliar, unstable ground.
- But a Cup replay would throw those plans into disarray.
- He briefly dissolved Congress in 1992 to successfully fight two guerrilla insurgencies that had thrown the country into chaos.
- However, the death of Vial shortly afterwards threw everything into confusion.
- Instead, it was going directly across their path, which threw them into confusion.
- It was their starting-point that was often illogical or arbitrary and threw the listener into confusion.
- Now the ruling, which could open the way for new prosecutions, has thrown the issue into chaos.
- Since the middle of the 1870s a world monetary depression had thrown trade into confusion.
The country was plunged into economic chaos.complete/utter/absolute etc chaos There was total chaos on the roads.in chaos The kitchen was in chaos.2the state of the universe before there was any orderCOLLOCATIONSverbscause/create/bring chaos· Snow has caused chaos on the roads this morning.end in chaos· The game ended in chaos with thunder and heavy rain.be thrown/plunged into chaos· A serious accident has thrown the roads into chaos.descend/slip into chaos (=gradually become completely confused and disorganized)· After the invasion, the country lapsed into chaos.be on the brink of chaos (=to be about to become completely confused and disorganized)· The peace talks were on the brink of chaos.chaos ensues (=it happens as a result of something)· A decade of civil war and chaos ensued.chaos reigns (=it happens)· Everyone was trying to talk at once and for a while chaos reigned.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + chaostotal/complete chaos· When we arrived, there was total chaos.utter chaos (=total chaos)· After the party, the whole house was in utter chaos.economic/political/social etc chaos· Afterwards there was widespread famine and economic chaos.traffic chaos (=when there are a lot of vehicles on the roads and they cannot move)· The first day of the school holidays brought traffic chaos to the roads.phrasesa state of chaos· Nick's bedroom is permanently in a state of chaos.a scene of chaos· I came home to a scene of chaos, with food and empty bottles everywhere.chaos and confusion· Heavy flooding has created chaos and confusion throughout the country.