as in violence
actions that hurt people and destroy things; a scene or situation that involves a lot of violence
Movies seem to be filled with murder and mayhem these days. a criminal who escaped from prison and caused mayhem
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Recent Examples of mayhem
The rampage turned festive Bourbon Street into macabre mayhem.
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Jack Brook, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2025
An armed guard returned fire, and at least 10 shots total were fired during the mayhem, according to police.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
And his ears were still ringing from the mayhem of Game 2 of the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, against whom his 3-pointer capped a miraculous comeback win and left him almost speechless from the volume inside one of the league’s most storied arenas.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
In 2024, Arizona creatures found themselves in some rather unusual situations, and Arizonans were there to catch the cuteness, mayhem and head-scratching moments on camera with these viral videos.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mayhem 
Jack Brook, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2025
An armed guard returned fire, and at least 10 shots total were fired during the mayhem, according to police.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
And his ears were still ringing from the mayhem of Game 2 of the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, against whom his 3-pointer capped a miraculous comeback win and left him almost speechless from the volume inside one of the league’s most storied arenas.
—Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
In 2024, Arizona creatures found themselves in some rather unusual situations, and Arizonans were there to catch the cuteness, mayhem and head-scratching moments on camera with these viral videos.
—Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 27 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mayhem
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mayhem
Noun
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In two particular cases, creators supposedly threatened to hang themselves and commit acts of violence live on Pump.Fun.Joel Khalili, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025
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Since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, Canadian cities have been disgraced by anti-Semitic incidents of accelerating violence.David Frum, The Atlantic, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The limited 6-part series was written by the same screenwriter who penned The Revenant, and the show very much follows that film’s style and overall sense of brutality and bleakness.Erik Kain, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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And the plotting didn’t take place in strange, distant areas: Among those charged with acts of brutality or acting as conspirators in the insurrection were residents of Ormond Beach, Titusville, Kissimmee and other familiar, nearby cities.Orlando Sentinel and New York Daily News Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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However, the event was used to lure her to the venue, where she was then attacked, robbed, and ultimately stabbed nine times before being taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries.Abby Monteil, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
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Murphy played in the Chicago Cubs minor league system for five years before retiring, in part due to injuries.Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Already this year, members of the team were dispatched to New Orleans following the New Year’s terror attack and to Las Vegas in response to the Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump hotel.Eric Levenson, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025
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Fighting began in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a terror attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed.Alexander Smith, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near mayhem
Cite this Entry
“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mayhem. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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