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Mayhem Has Legal Roots
Legally speaking, mayhem refers to the gruesome crime of deliberately causing an injury that permanently disfigures another. The name derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb maheimer ("to maim") and is probably of Germanic origin; the English verb maim comes from the same ancestor. The disfigurement sense of mayhem first appeared in English in the 15th century. By the 19th century the word had come to mean any kind of violent behavior; nowadays, mayhem can be used to suggest any kind of chaos or disorder, as in "there was mayhem in the streets during the citywide blackout."
Examples of mayhem in a Sentence
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
The mayhem took place during the first bullfight led by Spanish matador Borja Jiménez at the 2025 Anniversary Fair at the José Garfias 'Hechicero' ranch.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025
Punk rock band Fear caused mayhem on Saturday Night Live on Halloween in 1981, bringing a most-pit to Studio 8H for the first time.
—Peter White, Deadline, 24 Jan. 2025
Police arrested at least 17 of the attackers, including one who had been streaming the mayhem on YouTube.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for mayhem 
Dictionary Entries Near mayhem
Cite this Entry
“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayhem. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Medical Definition
California Statewide Law Enforcement Association Legal Definition
mayhem
noun
Note: Under the Model Penal Code and the codes of the states that follow it, mayhem is encompassed by assault and aggravated assault.
Anglo-French mahaim, mahain, literally, mutilation, from Old French mahain, from mahaignier to injure, mutilate
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