havochav‧oc /ˈhævək/ noun [uncountable] 
A strike will cause havoc for commuters. policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy Rain has continued to play havoc with sporting events.
WORD ORIGINhavoc
Origin:
1400-1500 Anglo-French, Old French havot ‘destruction, disorder’EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- A weak yen creates havoc in several ways for Detroit.
- Direct sunlight plays havoc with the varnish.
- Does your horse play havoc with your budget?
- It gets the crops growing, but it can play havoc with a racetrack and the animals that run on it.
- Surely that gun could not have wreaked this havoc!
- The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.
- The trick is to stumble on one of these Aladdin's caves of fishing delight - and wreak havoc.
- Wind currents and cloud cover always played havoc with our helicopters.
Longman Language Activatorto harm a person, group, country etc
to have a bad effect on something, in a way that makes it weaker, less effective, or less successful: · Walking out without giving any notice will only harm your career.· Any scandal will certainly harm the company's reputation.· These new export restrictions are sure to harm the economy.· The most important consideration is that the environment is not harmed.
to permanently harm something such as the success, health, or image of a person, organization etc so that they are not as effective as before: · Several recent events have damaged the government's public image.· This is likely to damage Scott's reputation even more.seriously/badly damage something: · Smoking can seriously damage your health.· The company's future prospects will be badly damaged if this deal falls through.
to change or effect something in a harmful way: · Drinking so much is bound to have a bad effect on your health.· An increase in interest rates at the present time would definitely be bad for business.
to have a sudden bad effect on someone or something, harming them badly: · A sudden rise in inflation always hits living standards.be badly hit: · Southern England has been badly hit by flooding, and many homes are now without power.hit something/somebody hard: · Elderly people were the hardest hit by the increase in tax on fuel.
to have a bad effect on an organization or activity, by making it less successful or effective: · Most companies have been hurt by the economic slowdown.· This is mainly going to hurt those who already have least.
to harm the plans, chances, confidence etc of a person or organization: · It would be stupid to pretend this was anything but a blow to the prime minister.be a big/serious/severe etc blow: · The incident was a severe blow to UN peace efforts.· Losing the match against Rumania, dealt a huge blow to the team.
to harm something such as an ability or the way a body or system works - use this especially in medical or technical contexts: · If a witness is allowed to withhold evidence, it impairs the legal process.· Alcohol significantly impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery.
formal to be likely to harm something: · Working in front of a computer all day may be detrimental to your eyesight.· Any further housing development will be detrimental to the character of this small town.
if you do something at the expense of someone or something else, you do it in order to gain an advantage, even if it harms them or has a bad effect on them: · Cigarette manufacturers continue to pursue profit at the expense of our children.· Many people are now working a fifty or sixty hour week, at the expense of their family life.
to seriously harm something by causing a lot of harm and confusion: · A major computer failure wrought havoc on the New York Subway last night.wreak havoc/play havoc with: · Working so late is starting to play havoc with her social life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY A strike will cause havoc for commuters. policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy Rain has continued to play havoc with sporting events.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
A strike will cause havoc for commuters. policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy Rain has continued to play havoc with sporting events.· Mr James Richardson, prosecuting, said Bedworth caused havoc on a scale which couldn't be imagined.· Locomotives weighing thirty or forty tons caused havoc where wheel met rail, iron rails sometimes needing replacement every two years.· Unexpected demands on your money can cause havoc with even the most carefully planned budgets - at least for a short while.· But they can also cause havoc to buildings.· Whatever the Navy's intentions, their shells were landing in the Commando positions and causing some havoc.· The two Governors after Paullinus were diplomats and administrators and not like the military men who had caused so much havoc.· But a very few aphids transmitting a virus can cause havoc to sugar beet, for instance.
· Johnny Cooper thought it almost impossible that three men carrying only sixty small bombs between them had created such havoc and destruction.· A weak yen creates havoc in several ways for Detroit.· The currents so produced can create havoc, even causing whole plants to shut down.· Actually, there is no one food capable of creating physiological havoc all by itself.· If we had some wingers, Les, I tell you we'd create havoc with our crosses.· At least they chose the lesser of two evils, but even so Tank managed to create havoc.· The catfish that is sometimes suggested is carnivorous and pugnacious and generally creates havoc.· He created havoc on the offensive boards and did a good job of blocking shots.
· Direct sunlight plays havoc with the varnish.· Wind currents and cloud cover always played havoc with our helicopters.· That was when drought dried up the lawns, playing havoc with lawnmower sales and profits.· It gets the crops growing, but it can play havoc with a racetrack and the animals that run on it.· Cold gusts dropped the wind chill into the low 40s and played havoc with final-round scores in the highest-scoring Nissan since 1984.· They also play havoc with your skin and it tends to get a bit sweaty under all the make-up I have to wear.· He can disrupt things, play havoc.
· Teenagers can not wreak that kind of havoc when they are stuck inside.· Beyond this potential for human suffering, the global ignorance of longitude wreaked economic havoc on the grandest scale.· Unassimilated, they might one day wreak havoc in her life.· The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.· But we all know that a moment's overload, may wreak havoc.· And they wreak havoc with the goal of raising revenue efficiently.· This is a critical feature on such an instrument, as a badly cut nut here would wreak havoc on playability.· Seeing him wreak such havoc among a supposedly invincible foe, the Elves within the shrine were heartened.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a situation in which there is a lot of damage or a lack of order, especially so that it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way SYN chaoscause/create havoc- And they wreak havoc with the goal of raising revenue efficiently.
- But we all know that a moment's overload, may wreak havoc.
- Did they hire a private eye to wreak havoc on the life of the harasser?
- Since elk can also wreak havoc in cropland and forestry plantations, a record 70,000 animals are being culled this hunting season.
- The goat, being a goat, wreaks havoc, and the tenant grows desperate.
- The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.
- This is a critical feature on such an instrument, as a badly cut nut here would wreak havoc on playability.
- Unassimilated, they might one day wreak havoc in her life.
A strike will cause havoc for commuters. policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy Rain has continued to play havoc with sporting events.