1
: wide and general destruction : devastation
A tornado wreaked havoc on the town two years ago.
2
: great confusion and disorder
the blackout caused havoc in the city
Examples of havoc in a Sentence
Noun
The disease can play havoc with the body's immune system.
Several small children can create havoc in a house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025
The pandemic though wrought havoc on student achievement, with many learning gaps remaining nearly five years after schools first closed.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
Rendy Jones, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024
So asking other states for help before Maria, which might have lined up resources for Puerto Rico more quickly, would have been an expensive undertaking without knowing for sure what havoc the storm would wreak.
—Patricia Mazzei and Omaya Sosa Pascual, miamiherald, 19 Oct. 2017
See All Example Sentences for havoc
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Noun
Several studies have found that polyphenols, especially tannins, can also play havoc with your iron supplement.
—Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025
The pandemic though wrought havoc on student achievement, with many learning gaps remaining nearly five years after schools first closed.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
Plankton: The Movie arrives exclusively on Netflix in 2025.
06 of 06
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Next year SpongeBob returns to theaters with his fourth film, The Search for SquarePants, as Plankton wrecks havoc on Netflix.
—Rendy Jones, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2024
So asking other states for help before Maria, which might have lined up resources for Puerto Rico more quickly, would have been an expensive undertaking without knowing for sure what havoc the storm would wreak.
—Patricia Mazzei and Omaya Sosa Pascual, miamiherald, 19 Oct. 2017
See All Example Sentences for havoc
Cite this Entry
“Havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/havoc. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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