# wreaking

/ˈɹikɪŋ/ (US) · /ɹˈiːkɪŋ/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wreaking
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Definition

to cause a lot of damage, pain, or trouble. You often see it with the word havoc.

For teachers: to inflict severe damage, destruction, or chaos on a person, place, or system. Most commonly appears in the fixed collocation 'wreak havoc'.

## Examples

- The storm is wreaking havoc on the small town.
- Heavy rain is wreaking havoc on the roads, and drivers face long delays.
- The computer virus is wreaking silent damage across the network, corrupting files faster than engineers can isolate them.

## Pitfalls

- Not "wrecking havoc on the city" but "wreaking havoc on the city" — Wreak means to cause; wreck means to destroy. The fixed collocation is 'wreak havoc'.

## Usage notes

- Transitive and takes a direct object, most commonly 'havoc', 'destruction', or 'chaos'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.