Havoc
intj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Widespread devastation and destruction. uncountable, usually
"I [Paul the Apostle] vvas going to Damaſcus vvith Letters from the High Prieſt to make Havock of God's People there, as I had made Havock of them in other places. Theſe bloody Letters vvas not impoſed upon me. I vvent to the High Prieſt and deſired them of him, Acts 9. 1, 2. And yet he [God] ſaved me!"
- 2 violent and needless disturbance wordnet
- 3 Mayhem. uncountable, usually
- 1 To pillage.
"To tear and havoc more than she can eat."
- 2 To cause havoc.
- 1 A cry in war as the signal for indiscriminate slaughter.
"Do not cry havoc, where you should but hunt / With modest warrant."
Example
More examples"I'm in difficulties because of the demented old woman next door wreaking havoc in my fields."
Etymology
From Middle English havok, havyk, from Old French havok in the phrase crier havok (“cry havoc”) a signal to soldiers to seize plunder, from Old French crier (“cry out, shout”) + havot (“pillaging, looting”), of obscure origin. Probably from a derivative of Old French *haf, hef (“hook”), from Frankish *haf, *habbjā, *happjā (“pruning-hook, scythe”), derived from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to take up, lift”), related to Old French havee (“handful”), Old French havet (“pruning-hook”), Old High German habba, heppa (“pruning-hook, scythe”), modern German Hippe (“billhook”). If so, then also related to English heave and doublet of hatchet.
Related phrases
More for "havoc"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.