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
Synonyms
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
Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 1 May 2024
The downsides to high military spending include concerns that such spending is economically unsustainable, is wasteful, and wreaks environmental havoc—militaries are responsible for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Conflict and Environment Observatory report.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for havoc 
Noun
It’s been in operation since 2016, and the havoc that COVID wrought on global supply chains means that it’s being retired two years later than anticipated.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 1 May 2024
The downsides to high military spending include concerns that such spending is economically unsustainable, is wasteful, and wreaks environmental havoc—militaries are responsible for about 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Conflict and Environment Observatory report.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for havoc
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'havoc.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Havoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/havoc. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
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