Law. the crime of willfully inflicting a bodily injury on another so as to make the victim less capable of self-defense or, under modern statutes, so as to cripple or mutilate the victim.
random or deliberate violence or damage.
a state of rowdy disorder: Antagonisms between the various factions at the meeting finally boiled over, and mayhem ensued.
Origin of mayhem
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English maheym, maim, from Anglo-French mahe(i)m, mahaim, from Germanic; akin to Middle High German meidem “gelding,” Old Norse meitha “to injure”; see maim
Athletes live-tweeted from the golf course and wore microphones throughout the match, creating mayhem on the platform.
As live sports roar back onto screens, brands capture a social-media lift|Twitter|July 30, 2020|Digiday
Trevor Austin, CEO of Finna Rage, denied responsibility for the mayhem in Keene.
Frat Culture Clashes With Riot Police at Keene, N.H., Pumpkin Festival|Melanie Plenda|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ex-MMA fighter Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller live-tweeted a standoff with police over domestic violence charges.
The MMA Fighters Have Gone Crazy: ‘Mayhem’ Miller the Latest in a Long Line of Psycho Pugilists|Robert Silverman|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rwanda and Ethiopia, symbols in the past of death and mayhem, are now among the fastest-growing economies in the world.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course there was mayhem there; the whole fight was delayed.
The Gonzo Artist: Behind Ralph Steadman’s Most Famous Work|Alex Suskind|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Come with me through 117 pages of euphemisms, bureaucracy, and mayhem.
Up to a Point: I Do My Own Taxes With No Help, Except From a Couple of Bloody Marys|P. J. O’Rourke|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It did not seem possible, Mayhem thought now, that a mistake could be made.
A Place in the Sun|C.H. Thames
Its funny, weve been working with Mayhem all these years and we never even met the guy.
A Place in the Sun|C.H. Thames
They went a hundred yards, Mayhem gripping the blaster and advancing by sheer effort of will.
World Beyond Pluto|C. H. Thames
The killings and house-burnings of an earlier day became the appeals of mayhem and arson.
The Common Law|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
There was no way, Mayhem knew, of making extensive repairs on Pluto.
World Beyond Pluto|C. H. Thames
British Dictionary definitions for mayhem
mayhem
maihem
/ (ˈmeɪhɛm) /
noun
lawthe wilful and unlawful infliction of injury upon a person, esp (formerly) the injuring or removing of a limb rendering him less capable of defending himself against attack
any violent destruction or confusion
Word Origin for mayhem
C15: from Anglo-French mahem injury, from Germanic; related to Icelandic meitha to hurt. See maim