Wreak havoc meaning in English
Learn how to use Wreak havoc correctly with Gymglish.
Test and improve your English. Start your free trial today.
TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 8 million learners worldwide
Definition
to wreak havoc: to cause chaos; to devastate, to destroy
The hurricane wreaked havoc on the harvest. All the crops were destroyed by it.
havoc: chaos, destruction
Examples
- "A 15-year-old boy wreaked havoc today at White Dove High School when he pulled out candy from his bag and threw it "quite hard" at fellow students."
- "Hurricane Vanessa continues to wreak havoc all over the American Southeast, another suicide bombing on Mount Placid has caused panic in the Middle East, a new outbreak of avian flu is devastating the chicken industry in Ethiopia."
Exercise 1
Moira reviews today's top news stories during the broadcast.
Choose all the correct statements from the list below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
Choose all the correct statements from the list below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
Moira reviews today's top news stories during the broadcast.
Choose all the correct statements from the list below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
Choose all the correct statements from the list below.
There may be more than one correct answer!
Moira says "Hurricane Vanessa continues to wreak havoc all over the American Southeast". The expression "to wreak havoc" means to "disrupt", "damage" or "destroy" something. The expression "to wreak havoc" is often used to describe the negative effects of a disaster (such as a hurricane), although the expression can be used in other contexts: The virus wreaked havoc on our computer systems. The "American Southeast" is a region comprising of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.
Moira says that "a new outbreak of avian flu is devastating the chicken industry in Ethiopia". If something is "devastated", it is "ruined" or "destroyed". Moira says that the chicken industry has been destroyed as a result of the avian flu, and not despite (or regardless) of it.
Moira reports that there has been another "suicide bombing" in the Middle East. A suicide bomber is someone who attaches a bomb or explosive device to themselves in order to cause an explosion in a public place. Suicide bombings are frequent in the middle east and are considered terrorist attacks.
Exercise 2
Fill in the gaps below using words from the list.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at . Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the all over the garden.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at . Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the all over the garden.
Fill in the gaps below using words from the list.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a feisty 1 little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an outbreak 2 of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He rejected 3 his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at peace 4. Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking havoc 5 all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the chickens 6 all over the garden.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a feisty 1 little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an outbreak 2 of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He rejected 3 his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at peace 4. Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking havoc 5 all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the chickens 6 all over the garden.
1 feisty: The word "feisty" means "energetic", "exuberant" and sometimes slightly "aggressive". Small, energetic animals (including humans!) are often described as "feisty". In this broadcast, Moira calls the panda feisty after hearing the audio recording from the zoo.
2 outbreak: An "outbreak" is the sudden spread of a disease or illness in a certain area or at a certain period of time. For example, the outbreak of the bubonic plague killed nearly one third of Europe's population in the middle ages. In this broadcast, Moira reports that an outbreak of avian flu has damaged the chicken industry in Ethiopia.
3 rejected: If something is "rejected", it is "dismissed" or discarded. Gilbert "rejected" his medicine, which means that he refused to take it. In this broadcast, Moira reports that the peace proposal between India and Sri Lanka was "rejected".
4 peace: To be "at peace" is to be calm, tranquil or at rest. During the period in which Susie's dog was sick, there was peace and quiet in the house. In this broadcast, Moira refers to the latest peace proposal between Sri Lanka and India.
5 havoc: To "wreak havoc" means to cause destruction, damage or disorder. Gilbert wreaked havoc by running through the house and being wild. In this broadcast, Moira reports that Hurricane Vanessa is "wreaking havoc" all over the American Southeast.
6 chickens: Chickens are domestic birds that lay eggs for our breakfast and make a lovely Sunday roast. In this broadcast, Moira talks about the "avian flu" devastating the chicken industry in Ethiopia.
Exercise 3
Fill in the gaps below using words from the list.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at . Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the all over the garden.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at . Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the all over the garden.
Fill in the gaps below using words from the list.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a feisty 1 little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an outbreak 2 of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He rejected 3 his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at peace 4. Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking havoc 5 all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the chickens 6 all over the garden.
peace | chickens | havoc | alongside | to be born | feisty | soil | outbreak | to reject
Not all the words are used in the exercise. Conjugate the verbs appropriately.
When Susie was a little girl, she had a feisty 1 little dog called Gilbert. He used to run round and around chasing his own tail. During an outbreak 2 of the flu, Gilbert became very ill. He rejected 3 his medicine, and refused to eat. Without Gilbert running around, the house was quiet, and Susie's parents were finally at peace 4. Fortunately, Gilbert recovered quickly and soon he was once again wreaking havoc 5 all over the house: breaking plates, damaging furniture, and chasing the chickens 6 all over the garden.
1 feisty: The word "feisty" means "energetic", "exuberant" and sometimes slightly "aggressive". Small, energetic animals (including humans!) are often described as "feisty". In this broadcast, Moira calls the panda feisty after hearing the audio recording from the zoo.
2 outbreak: An "outbreak" is the sudden spread of a disease or illness in a certain area or at a certain period of time. For example, the outbreak of the bubonic plague killed nearly one third of Europe's population in the middle ages. In this broadcast, Moira reports that an outbreak of avian flu has damaged the chicken industry in Ethiopia.
3 rejected: If something is "rejected", it is "dismissed" or discarded. Gilbert "rejected" his medicine, which means that he refused to take it. In this broadcast, Moira reports that the peace proposal between India and Sri Lanka was "rejected".
4 peace: To be "at peace" is to be calm, tranquil or at rest. During the period in which Susie's dog was sick, there was peace and quiet in the house. In this broadcast, Moira refers to the latest peace proposal between Sri Lanka and India.
5 havoc: To "wreak havoc" means to cause destruction, damage or disorder. Gilbert wreaked havoc by running through the house and being wild. In this broadcast, Moira reports that Hurricane Vanessa is "wreaking havoc" all over the American Southeast.
6 chickens: Chickens are domestic birds that lay eggs for our breakfast and make a lovely Sunday roast. In this broadcast, Moira talks about the "avian flu" devastating the chicken industry in Ethiopia.
Still unsure of the best way to use 'Wreak havoc'? Improve your English thanks to our online English lessons. We offer a free test as well as a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Test your English with Gymglish today and get a free level assessment
Absolutely free - no strings attached.
