as in inflicted
to cause to suffer punishment or vengeance for
wreaked their vengeance on those they considered enemies
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Recent Examples of wreaked
The war claimed thousands of lives and wreaked havoc on the community.
—
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Similar to the flooding in August of 2025, recent flooding has already wreaked major damage to homes and businesses, Crowley said in the release.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 17 Apr. 2026
In the twentieth century, the same storms that made headlines in New York wreaked quieter havoc across the river.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Their defense wreaked havoc on their SEC sisters, scoring 26 points off 24 Kentucky turnovers.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
The consequences of that sabotage added to the environmental devastation wreaked by the oil multinationals.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Even as fresh violence is wreaked on the country, there has yet to be a full accounting of the government’s brutal crackdown in January, during which thousands of people protesting the deteriorating economy were killed by security forces.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Wild extremes of temperature, a heat dome, a potent bomb cyclone blizzard, epic rainfalls and violent tornadoes have wreaked weather havoc across the nation.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
As the complaining businesses are no doubt wringing their hands over the setback, shoppers are also bemoaning the havoc that tariffs have wreaked on their pocketbooks as the final week of holiday shopping ramps up.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 20 Apr. 2026
Similar to the flooding in August of 2025, recent flooding has already wreaked major damage to homes and businesses, Crowley said in the release.
—Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 17 Apr. 2026
In the twentieth century, the same storms that made headlines in New York wreaked quieter havoc across the river.
—Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Their defense wreaked havoc on their SEC sisters, scoring 26 points off 24 Kentucky turnovers.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
The consequences of that sabotage added to the environmental devastation wreaked by the oil multinationals.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Even as fresh violence is wreaked on the country, there has yet to be a full accounting of the government’s brutal crackdown in January, during which thousands of people protesting the deteriorating economy were killed by security forces.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Wild extremes of temperature, a heat dome, a potent bomb cyclone blizzard, epic rainfalls and violent tornadoes have wreaked weather havoc across the nation.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
As the complaining businesses are no doubt wringing their hands over the setback, shoppers are also bemoaning the havoc that tariffs have wreaked on their pocketbooks as the final week of holiday shopping ramps up.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wreaked
Verb
-
The standoff at the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the US — Baghdad’s two dominant external power brokers — has already inflicted serious damage on Iraq.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Agustín, an elderly man who lived on the streets and had mental health problems, died in February from burns inflicted by an 18-year-old who was later arrested.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Davis was sentenced Thursday by Lake County Judge Christopher Lombardo, who imposed a 42-year sentence for murder plus a 25-year enhancement for the use of a firearm.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have hiked prices and imposed rate limits to manage surging demand.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wreaked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wreaked. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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