English French Spanish More dictionaries More

Definition of 'wreak'

Word Frequency

wreak

(riːk )

Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense wreaks , present participle wreaking , past tense, past participle wreaked language note: The form wrought can also be used as the past participle.

1. verb

Something or someone that wreaks havoc or destruction causes a great amount of disorder or damage.

[journalism, literary]

Violent storms wreaked havoc on the French Riviera, leaving three dead and dozens injured. [VERB noun]

Who knows if the volcano might once again wreak destruction? [VERB noun]

...the devastation wrought by a decade of fighting. [VERB-ed]

Synonyms: create, work, cause, visit More Synonyms of wreak

2. verb

If you wreak revenge or vengeance on someone, you do something that will harm them very much to punish them for the harm they have done to you.

[journalism, literary]

He threatened to wreak vengeance on the men who toppled him a year ago. [VERB noun]

Synonyms: unleash, express, indulge, vent More Synonyms of wreak

3. See also wrought

COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

You may also like

Language Lover's

Language Lover's

French Translation of

French Translation of

Word of the day: cli-fi

Word of the day:

Hindi Translation of

Hindi Translation of

Word Frequency

wreak in British English

(riːk )

verb (transitive)

1.

to inflict ( vengeance, etc) or to cause ( chaos, etc)

to wreak havoc on the enemy

2.

to express, or gratify ( anger, hatred, etc)

3. archaic

to take vengeance for

▶ USAGE See note at wrought

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Derived forms

wreaker (ˈwreaker)

noun

Word origin

Old English wrecan; related to Old Frisian wreka, Old High German rehhan (German rächen), Old Norse reka, Latin urgēre to push

Word Frequency

wreak in American English

(rik )

verb transitive

1.

to give vent or free play to (one's anger, malice, rage, etc.)

2.

to inflict (vengeance), cause (harm or havoc), etc.

3. Archaic

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Derived forms

wreaker (ˈwreaker)

noun

Word origin

ME wreken < OE wrecan, to revenge, punish, akin to Ger rächen, Goth wrikan < IE base *wreg-, to shove, oppress, hunt down, L urgere, to press, urge

Examples of 'wreak' in a sentence
wreak

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

This gave him licence to get forward and wreak havoc.The day is over when they can stay in our country and wreak havoc.It will spell war or wreak the havoc of one.But what to do when heels wreak havoc on your lower back?Though the tent's wreaking havoc with our lawn.World War Two wreaked havoc on our eating habits.They said that hooligans from the city took advantage of the chaos to wreak havoc.They say that modern mining methods could wreak lasting damage on the countryside.This enabled them to sustain and wind up their anger to wreak the worst vengeance.Who knows if the volcano might once again wreak destruction?

Show more...

Trends of
wreak

View usage for:

In other languages
wreak

British English: wreak VERB

Something or someone that wreaks havoc or destruction causes a great amount of disorder or damage.

Violent storms wreaked havoc on the coast, leaving dozens injured.

American English: wreak
Brazilian Portuguese: causar
Chinese: 造成 >混乱或严重破坏
European Spanish: causar
French: causer
German: anrichten
Italian: seminarerovina, distruzione
Japanese: >もたらす大惨事や破壊を
Korean: > 입히다피해 등을
European Portuguese: causar
Latin American Spanish: causar

Translate your text for free

Nearby words of
wreak

Related terms of
wreak

Source

Definition of wreak from the Collins English Dictionary

New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

-

Score: 0 / 5

larva or lava?

Which version is correct?

Rivers of larva flowed down the volcano. Rivers of lava flowed down the volcano.

conker or conquer?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

conker

conquer

The season is here again.

ewe or yew?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

ewe

yew

She pointed at the and her two lambs.

pray or prey?

Which version is correct?

We all work and pray for peace. We all work and prey for peace.

tuba or tuber?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

tuber

tuba

Lift each out of the ground with a garden fork.

Your score:

Jan 06, 2021

Word of the day

cli-fi

a genre of science-fiction concerned with the effects of climate change

SEE FULL DEFINITION

SEE PREVIOUS WORDS

Latest Word Submissions

rainscaping Dec 23, 2020

openwashing Dec 23, 2020

vaxxie Dec 23, 2020

left on read Dec 23, 2020

View More Submit

New hope for the New Year

New Year’s Eve is traditionally when we fix our gaze firmly forward in hope, having cast a backward glance at the year just ended. Which, despite the negatives, saw a healthy increase in good-neighbourliness and kindness as demonstrated, for instance, by caremongering. Read more

Food for thought this Christmas

I don’t know about you, but I’m already salivating at the prospect of Christmas food. The first pangs start early in December with the nostalgia rush I get upon spotting dinky net bags of mixed nuts for sale. Read more

Eight Gaelic words from the Collins English Dictionary

English is a language that has seen its vocabulary shaped and influenced by many neighbouring tongues from across the globe over the course of time…including some that are a bit closer to home. Read more

Collins English Dictionary Apps

Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android. Read more

Collins Dictionaries for Schools

Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. Read more

We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge! Read more

Join the Collins community

All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month. Read more

Scrabble score
for 'wreak':
12

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

-

Score: 0 / 5

classic or classical?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

classic

classical

This is one of the works of Hollywood cinema.

assignment or homework?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

homework

assignment

We get every day.

beside or besides?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

besides

beside

What languages do you know Arabic and English?

also or too?

Which version is correct?

I wondered whether I would become ill also. I wondered whether I would become ill too.

conscience or consciousness?

Which version is correct?

My conscience told me to vote against the others. My consciousness told me to vote against the others.

Your score:

Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content

Register now or log in to access