wreak

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /riːk/ UK /riːk/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like leak /l/ vs /r/ Sounds like leek /l/ vs /r/

Meanings

1

verb
to cause or inflict (harm, damage, or vengeance)

The hurricane wreaked havoc along the entire coastline.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to cause or inflict (harm,... inflict unleash cause perpetrate exact visit

Word family

Derived forms wreaker

Related forms wrack wreckwroken

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

wreak havoc
to cause extensive damage or serious disruption

Verb + noun

Etymology

From Old English wrecan ('to drive out, punish, avenge'), from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną ('to drive, pursue'), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- ('to push, drive').

wrecan Old English *wrekaną Proto-Germanic *wreg- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# wreak

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /riːk/
**IPA (UK):** /riːk/

## Meanings
1. to cause or inflict (harm, damage, or vengeance)

## Examples
- The hurricane wreaked havoc along the entire coastline.

## Synonyms
- inflict
- unleash
- cause
- perpetrate
- exact
- visit

## Derived Forms
- wreaker

## Related Forms
- wrack
- wreck
- wroken

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wrecan
- Root: *wrekaną
- Root: *wreg-

## Etymology
From Old English wrecan ('to drive out, punish, avenge'), from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną ('to drive, pursue'), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- ('to push, drive').

## AI Etymology
wreak comes from Old English wrecan ('to drive out, punish, avenge'), from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną ('to drive, pursue'), from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- ('to push, drive'). The formation turns on wreg-, a prefixal element preserved in the word's surface shape and tied to the older base described in its history. In modern use, the verb sense is "to cause or inflict (harm, damage, or vengeance)", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as wrack, wreck, wroken and derivatives such as wreaker, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English wrecan, Proto-Germanic *wrekaną, Proto-Indo-European *wreg-, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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