mass noun
1- widespread destruction大破坏, 大毁坏：
the hurricane ripped through Florida causing havoc.
飓风席卷佛罗里达州造成巨大破坏。
1.1
- great confusion or disorder大乱, 混乱：
schoolchildren wreaking havoc in the classroom.
学生们在教室里闹翻了天。
havocked, havocking
with obj. archaic lay waste to; devastate〈古〉毁坏, 摧毁。
短语
play havoc with
- completely disrupt; cause serious damage to完全扰乱, 完全打乱; 毁坏：
shift work plays havoc with the body clock.
倒班工作会对生物钟造成严重破坏。
词源
late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French havok, alteration of Old French havot, of unknown origin. The word was originally used in the phrase cry havoc （Old French crier havot）'to give an army the order havoc', which was the signal for plundering.