1
a
: a state of utter confusion
the blackout caused chaos throughout the city
b
: a confused mass or mixture
a chaos of television antennas
2
a
often capitalized
: a state of things in which chance is supreme
especially
: the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms compare cosmos
b
: the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system (such as the atmosphere, boiling water, or the beating heart)
Synonyms
Examples of chaos in a Sentence
The loss of electricity caused chaos throughout the city.
When the police arrived, the street was in total chaos.
The country had descended into economic chaos.
Recent Examples on the Web
In many cases, pet dogs, cats and other animals have been lost in the chaos or were left behind during evacuations.
—
Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
The answer gets tricky Jan. 10, 2025 Friday’s developments added to the sense of chaos surrounding the devastating wildfires, which have destroyed portions of Pacific Palisades and Malibu as well as Altadena, an unincorporated area outside the city of Los Angeles, killing at least 13 people.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives was in chaos.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025
To prevent this sort of chaos, researchers are attempting to answer some basic but critical questions: Who reacts to what kind of warnings?
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chaos 
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Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
The answer gets tricky Jan. 10, 2025 Friday’s developments added to the sense of chaos surrounding the devastating wildfires, which have destroyed portions of Pacific Palisades and Malibu as well as Altadena, an unincorporated area outside the city of Los Angeles, killing at least 13 people.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives was in chaos.
—Vox Staff, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025
To prevent this sort of chaos, researchers are attempting to answer some basic but critical questions: Who reacts to what kind of warnings?
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chaos
Dictionary Entries Near chaos
Cite this Entry
“Chaos.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chaos. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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