to work havoc: The fire havocked throughout the house.
Idioms for havoc
cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.
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.
Origin of havoc
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English havok, from Anglo-French (in phrase crier havok “to cry havoc,” i.e., “utter the command havoc!” as signal for pillaging), Middle French havot in same sense, from Germanic
SYNONYMS FOR havoc
1 desolation, waste.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR havoc ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for havoc
1. See ruin.
OTHER WORDS FROM havoc
hav·ock·er,noun
Words nearby havoc
have words with, Havilah, Haviland, havildar, Havírov, havoc, Havre, havurah, haw, Hawaii, Hawaiian
Those ejections can wreak havoc on satellites or power grids when they strike Earth.
Check out the first-ever map of the solar corona’s magnetic field|Lisa Grossman|August 21, 2020|Science News
In addition to the market chaos that’s played havoc with returns this year, the investor has been dragged into a political debacle over the appointment of its new CEO, hedge-fund manager Nicolai Tangen.
The world’s largest wealth fund has lost $21 billion so far this year|kdunn6|August 18, 2020|Fortune
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on small businesses while at at the same time accelerated consumers’ shift to digital and the business need for digital transformation.
Social Shorts: TikTok’s future, Quora lead-gen ads, Facebook’s India plans|Ginny Marvin|August 3, 2020|Search Engine Land
On defense, Bonga creates havoc with both steals and blocks, and the Wizards play more like a competent NBA defense with him on the court, a huge bonus for the league’s worst defensive team.
The Players To Watch On The NBA Teams Just Trying To Hang Around|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 30, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The expanded postseason has given them another path to make the playoffs — and a chance to create havoc once there.
The Winners And Losers In MLB’s New Playoff Format|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 24, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
She is shocked by the breadth of the havoc unleashed on Gaza and is devastated by the price Palestinians have paid.
Hamas Claims ‘Victory’ Amid the Rubble of Gaza|Jesse Rosenfeld|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An oblique view of baseball full of hijinks, havoc, and humor, this is fandom to the extreme.
Home Runs, Frozen Ropes, And Some Wild Cards In Best Baseball Books|Robert Birnbaum|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Bishop, Colossus, Warpath, Blink, Sunspot, Quiksilver, Stryker and Havoc will all be there too.
The Most Anticipated Culture Events of 2014: ‘Inherent Vice,’ ‘Divergent,’ and More||January 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Given the public fury, the law may not last, but it has already caused plenty of havoc.
Brazil’s Rich Ban Biographies Via Arcane Law|Mac Margolis|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Pic: At the Hirshhorn Museum, Ed Ruscha and others take a refined view of havoc.
A Creative Inferno|Blake Gopnik|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The unfortunate natives of the eighteenth century allowed all kinds of havoc to be played with even their best-known names.
The Revival of Irish Literature|Charles Gavan Duffy
On the tomb of the doer of this havoc is written, with an unconscious sarcasm, "Multum ei debet ecclesia Wellensis."
History of the Cathedral Church of Wells|Edward A. Freeman
There lay the French squadron before us, no one on board dreaming of the havoc and destruction about to be wrought among them.
Hurricane Hurry|W.H.G. Kingston
To these he added the immense range of his migrations, and the havoc he commits.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII No. 1 January 1848|Various
Thousands, it is to be feared, cursed Glyndwr as they looked upon the havoc which the last decade had wrought.
Owen Glyndwr and the Last Struggle for Welsh Independence|Arthur Granville Bradley
British Dictionary definitions for havoc
havoc
/ (ˈhævək) /
noun
destruction; devastation; ruin
informalconfusion; chaos
cry havocarchaicto give the signal for pillage and destruction
play havoc(often foll by with)to cause a great deal of damage, distress, or confusion (to)
verb-ocs, -ockingor-ocked
(tr)archaicto lay waste
Word Origin for havoc
C15: from Old French havot pillage, probably of Germanic origin