wreak havoc

idiom

: to cause great damage

A powerful tornado wreaked havoc on the small village.

The virus wreaked havoc on my computer.

Examples of wreak havoc in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Recovery efforts were underway Friday after storms led to the death of one man in Kansas, after heavy rains and strong winds wreaked havoc on a lake recreation area that is popular with trailer campers. —

Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 5 July 2024 At age 63, Murphy’s ingratiating smile has endured over the four decades since the first Beverly Hills Cop wreaked havoc, blasting down Rodeo Drive. —

Peter Bart, Deadline, 27 June 2024 Founded 22 years ago, Chapel Down has witnessed the U.K.’s wine business expand at a time when climate change has wreaked havoc on other traditional wine-producing hubs. —

Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 25 June 2024 Harvard economist and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers fears Trump’s economic proposals and penchant for trade wars could lead to a serious bout of stagflation—the toxic combination of high inflation and low growth that wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy in the 1970s. —

Alena Botros, Fortune, 22 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for wreak havoc

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wreak havoc.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.