1
as in hell
a state in which everything is out of order
computer network problems created havoc throughout the office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the powerful hurricane wreaked havoc all along the coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to ravage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of havoc
Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Metro services and trains across both countries were also halted, as well as traffic systems, causing havoc in multiple cities.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
PC Magazine, 22 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for havoc
Noun
Farr’s living in the Los Angeles area has also brought her close-up views of the havoc that wildfires can wreak.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
Metro services and trains across both countries were also halted, as well as traffic systems, causing havoc in multiple cities.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
Even after hours of fast traveling, horseback riding, and slowly jogging from point A to point B, there were more quests to find, gear to loot, and havoc to wreak.
—PC Magazine, 22 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for havoc
Recent Examples of Synonyms for havoc
Noun
-
Whether a dream or not, Devon’s definitely in her own personal hell.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
-
Voters from the United States to the Netherlands have installed far right-wing, anti-immigration, anti-people governments hell bent on punishing migration via the most inhumane measures imaginable.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
The council also scaled back the number of new hires the mayor proposed for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the wildfire that ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
-
Numerous celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Milo Ventimiglia lost their homes in the ravaging blaze.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Maul was eventually captured, but Ahsoka released him to cause a diversion during the chaos of Order 66. — As seen on The Clone Wars.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
25 May 2025
-
Now that the chaos and media frenzy have settled, Harrelson visits the area − known as George Floyd Square − several times a week.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
What makes that even scarier is that Florida’s road record — an .800 win percentage matched by only 17 other teams in the modern era — actually undersells the destruction.—
The Athletic NHL Staff,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
-
The book also examines the growing movement to grant legal rights to rivers as a way to prevent their destruction by corporations and governments, which are themselves protected by a vast array of legal rights.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
After France fell to Germany, the Nazis requisitioned the museum as a sorting facility for art plundered from French Jewish dealers and citizens disenfranchised by the state.—
Nina Siegal,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
-
Some Quebecois housed troops or joined pro-patriot militias; others joined the British in firing muskets and artillery at the men invading their homeland and plundering their homesteads.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
This daily upkeep keeps messes manageable and prevents them from accumulating to an overwhelming level.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 May 2025
-
Watching people getting clobbered with mops, or Stitch making messes and starting fires at the open-air beach resort where Nani works — the funny’s diminished in live-action.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
Being moved to the rear of the field also resulted in the loss of Ericsson's and Kirkwood's prize money and the championship points from their original finishes.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2025
-
For me, her passing was also the loss of a cherished friend.—
Alan K. Rode,
Variety,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
Hamas has acknowledged executing individuals accused of looting and announced a 5,000-member force to combat armed criminals.—
Juwayriah Wright,
Time,
19 May 2025
-
All of the 37 public hospitals in Khartoum have been severely damaged and looted, Saad said.—
Emmanuel Akinwotu,
NPR,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/havoc. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share