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noun
1.
great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.
verb (used with object)
2.
to work havoc upon; devastate.
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Havoc
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms3.
to work havoc: The fire havocked throughout the house.
4.
cry havoc, to warn of danger or disaster.
5.
play havoc with,
a.
to create confusion or disorder in: The wind played havoc with the papers on the desk.
b.
to destroy; ruin: The bad weather played havoc with our vacation plans.
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English havok < Anglo-French (in phrase crier havok to cry havoc, i.e., utter the command havoc! as signal for pillaging), Middle French havot in same sense < Germanic
1400–50; late Middle English havok < Anglo-French (in phrase crier havok to cry havoc, i.e., utter the command havoc! as signal for pillaging), Middle French havot in same sense < Germanic
Related forms
hav·ock·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To havoc
Example Sentences
- Rats can wreak ecological havoc when introduced on a foreign island, decimating native bird and amphibian populations.
- After a bout of the flu, lingering germs can wreak havoc on the weakened immune system.
- Jet lag was playing havoc with my system.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
havoc
1419, from Anglo-Fr. havok in phrase crier havok "cry havoc" (1385), a signal to soldiers to seize plunder, from O.Fr. havot "plundering, devastation" (fr. avoir), from a Gmc. source (see hawk (n.)), or from L. habere "to have, possess." General sense of "devastation" first recorded c.1480.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Idioms & Phrases
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