havoc

C1 Topic:Cause, Change & Process

Also spelled havock

US /ˈhævək/ UK /ˈhævək/ See IPA manual

Freq #11592

Meanings

1

noun
widespread destruction, disorder, or confusion

The storm caused havoc throughout the coastal town.
2

noun
serious disruption or damage, especially in the phrase wreak havoc

A software failure played havoc with the timetable.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · widespread destruction,... devastationmayhemchaos

2 noun · serious disruption or... disruption damage

More destruction

Opposites

order peace

Word family

Derived forms havocker

Common collocations

wreak havoc Verb + noun

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 relat...

Topics

Cause, Change & Process

External links

# havoc

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈhævək/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈhævək/
**Frequency rank:** 11592

## Meanings
1. widespread destruction, disorder, or confusion
2. serious disruption or damage, especially in the phrase wreak havoc

## Examples
- The storm caused havoc throughout the coastal town.
- A software failure played havoc with the timetable.

## Synonyms
- devastation
- mayhem
- chaos
- destruction

## Antonyms
- order
- peace

## Derived Forms
- havocker

## 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 relat...

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process

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