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Jun 25, 2024 · Wreak havoc means to cause great damage, such as a tornado or a virus. See how to use this idiom in a sentence and learn about its origin and synonyms.
To wreak havoc is to cause chaos or destruction or both. Wreak means to inflict or cause. Havoc means chaos, disorder, or confusion. It can also mean destruction, damage, or ruin. In many cases, it refers to a combination of these things.
So to wreak havoc on something means "to inflict or cause devastating damage." Wreak and havoc are almost always paired in contemporary English, but in 19th-century books you'll see much wreaking of ruin, toil, scorn, and other unpleasant things.
Something or someone that wreaks havoc or destruction causes a great amount of disorder or damage. [...] [journalism, literary] See full entry for 'wreak' Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. COBUILD Collocations. wreak havoc. economic havoc. further havoc.
However, the correct spelling is ‘wreak havoc’, which means, ‘inflict or create damage’. What's the origin of the phrase 'Wreak havoc'? The phrase ‘wreak havoc’ is often used now in weather reports of hurricanes.
wreak havoc. Create confusion and inflict destruction. Havoc, which comes from the medieval word for “plunder,” was once a specific command for invading troops to begin looting and killing in a conquered village.
Jun 5, 2024 · The phrase “wreaking havoc” means that someone or something is causing a great deal of trouble or is causing a lot of damage. Origin of this idiom. Before the 19th century, the word wreak was already used widely in literature and speech.
