wreak havoc
idiom
: to cause great damage
A powerful tornado wreaked havoc on the small village.
The virus wreaked havoc on my computer.
Examples of wreak havoc in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the introduction of the invasive brown tree snake, which wreaked havoc on the island’s native animals, decimated the species.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
The tech-heavy Nasdaq is down 13.2%, and the S&P 500 is down 8.3% as President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs continue to wreak havoc within international markets.
—Kevin Ryan, Quartz, 14 Apr. 2025
And over the past week, Trump’s global tariffs have wreaked havoc on financial markets, sparking concern from some Republicans in Washington and New Hampshire.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
Then Hurricane Helene devastated the southwestern part of the state and wreaked havoc on the Blue Ridge Parkway, destroying people's homes and rendering roads impassable.
—Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
The tech-heavy Nasdaq is down 13.2%, and the S&P 500 is down 8.3% as President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs continue to wreak havoc within international markets.
—Kevin Ryan, Quartz, 14 Apr. 2025
And over the past week, Trump’s global tariffs have wreaked havoc on financial markets, sparking concern from some Republicans in Washington and New Hampshire.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
Then Hurricane Helene devastated the southwestern part of the state and wreaked havoc on the Blue Ridge Parkway, destroying people's homes and rendering roads impassable.
—Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc
Cite this Entry
“Wreak havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreak%20havoc. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share