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
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.
The county sheriff followed procedure and contacted ICE when the subject posted bail, but ICE agents were too busy wreaking havoc in the Twin Cities to do their actual job and pick the prisoner up. Karen Cortes, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026 The monster storm with an unassuming name — Fern — dumped more than a foot of snow in some parts of Indiana, disrupted travel for thousands and wreaked havoc on other parts of the country from Texas to the East Coast. Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 26 Jan. 2026 There were also more than 100,000 people without power in Louisiana and Mississippi, which were dealing with extremely rare ice accumulation that wreaked havoc on utility companies. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2026 Not every boss speaking in Davos was convinced that AI is destined to wreak havoc on labor markets just yet. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wreak havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreak%20havoc. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!