wreak havoc

phrase

: 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
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Security patches for the PHP programming language, widely used to build websites and web apps, have rolled out today, with the goal of fixing two critical vulnerabilities that could wreak havoc on the internet if left unchecked. — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026 Never mind that axis deer are an invasive species that can wreak havoc on the islands' native ecosystems. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Manchester police say over the weekend, vandals wreaked havoc leaving several hateful, antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs on people's property. — Paul Burton, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2026 The conflict, in its seventh month, has disrupted energy markets globally and wreaked havoc across the Middle East, damaging critical infrastructure and destabilizing regional economies. — Reuters, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wreak havoc

Browse Nearby Words

wreakful
wreak havoc
wreath
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wreak havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreak%20havoc. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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