mayhem

noun

may·​hem ˈmā-ˌhem  ˈmā-əm 

plural mayhems

1

: needless or willful damage or violence

movies filled with murder and mayhem

2

a

: willful and permanent deprivation of a body part resulting in the impairment of a person's fighting ability

b

: willful and permanent disabling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of the body

Did you know?

Mayhem Has Legal Roots

Legally speaking, mayhem refers to the gruesome crime of deliberately causing an injury that permanently disfigures another. The name derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb maheimer ("to maim") and is probably of Germanic origin; the English verb maim comes from the same ancestor. The disfigurement sense of mayhem first appeared in English in the 15th century. By the 19th century the word had come to mean any kind of violent behavior; nowadays, mayhem can be used to suggest any kind of chaos or disorder, as in "there was mayhem in the streets during the citywide blackout."

Examples of mayhem in a Sentence

movies filled with murder and mayhem

a criminal who escaped from prison and caused mayhem

Recent Examples on the Web

Miller, of course, has been orchestrating vehicular mayhem since his debut feature, the first Mad Max, was released in 1979. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025

One woman was seen jumping over the seats to join the mayhem, while a group of men were caught on camera cornering and hitting another traveler. —Bonny Chu, Fox News, 23 Feb. 2025

But Apex itself is a different beast altogether, more reliant on lightning-fast player movement that borders on parkour, allowing for high-stakes acrobatics amid the mayhem of combat. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2025

Your brain is hard-wired to zoom in on violence, mayhem and terrorism for fight-or-flight purposes because those acts are threats to survival. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mayme, mahaime, from Anglo-French mahaim mutilation, mayhem, from maheimer, mahaigner to maim, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German meiden gelding, Old Norse meitha to injure

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for mayhem

• condemn
• atm
• chernozem
• diadem
• ibidem
• meristem
• clem
• em
• femme
• gem
• hem
• phlegm

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Kids Definition

mayhem

noun

may·​hem ˈmā-ˌhem  ˈmā-əm 

1

: deliberate permanent crippling or injury of any part of the body

2

: needless or willful damage or violence

Medical Definition

mayhem

noun

may·​hem ˈmā-ˌhem  ˈmā-əm 

: willful and permanent disabling, mutilation, or disfiguring of any part of the body

also : the crime of engaging in mayhem

A Rocklin cosmetic surgeon pleaded "not guilty" to 37 felony counts, including mayhem. … In broadcast media reports, women claimed they had botched plastic surgery procedures that have left them disfigured, disabled or both.

—California Statewide Law Enforcement Association

Legal Definition

mayhem

noun

may·​hem ˈmā-ˌhem, -əm 

: willful and permanent crippling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of another's body

also : the crime of engaging in mayhem

Note: Under the Model Penal Code and the codes of the states that follow it, mayhem is encompassed by assault and aggravated assault.

Etymology

Anglo-French mahaim, mahain, literally, mutilation, from Old French mahain, from mahaignier to injure, mutilate