From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhavochav‧oc /ˈhævək/ noun [uncountable] DISORGANIZEDDAMAGEa situation in which there is a lot of damage or a lack of order, especially so that it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way SYN chaoscause/create havoc A strike will cause havoc for commuters. policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy Rain has continued to play havoc with sporting events.
Examples from the Corpus
havoc• A weak yen creates havoc in several ways for Detroit.• It gets the crops growing, but it can play havoc with a racetrack and the animals that run on it.• Does your horse play havoc with your budget?• Wind currents and cloud cover always played havoc with our helicopters.• Direct sunlight plays havoc with the varnish.• Surely that gun could not have wreaked this havoc!• The trick is to stumble on one of these Aladdin's caves of fishing delight - and wreak havoc.• The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.play havoc with• They also play havoc with your skin and it tends to get a bit sweaty under all the make-up I have to wear.• Wind currents and cloud cover always played havoc with our helicopters.• Cold gusts dropped the wind chill into the low 40s and played havoc with final-round scores in the highest-scoring Nissan since 1984.• It gets the crops growing, but it can play havoc with a racetrack and the animals that run on it.• A poor sugar harvest could play havoc with the country's shaky economy.• Nina in her innocence ate the ice cream and, of course, it played havoc with her digestion.• That was when drought dried up the lawns, playing havoc with lawnmower sales and profits.• Direct sunlight plays havoc with the varnish.Origin havoc (1400-1500) Anglo-French Old French havot “destruction, disorder” 