wreakwreak /riːk/ verb 
These policies have wreaked havoc on the British economy.2wreak revenge/vengeance (on somebody) formal to do something unpleasant to someone to punish them for something they have done to you: He promised to wreak vengeance on those who had betrayed him.
WORD ORIGINwreak
Origin:
Old English wrecan ‘to drive out, punish’VERB TABLE
wreak
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | wreak |
| he, she, it | wreaks | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | wreaked |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have wreaked |
| he, she, it | has wreaked | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had wreaked |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will wreak |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have wreaked |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am wreaking |
| he, she, it | is wreaking | |
| you, we, they | are wreaking | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was wreaking |
| you, we, they | were wreaking | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been wreaking |
| he, she, it | has been wreaking | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been wreaking |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be wreaking |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been wreaking |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- And they wreak havoc with the goal of raising revenue efficiently.
- Beyond this potential for human suffering, the global ignorance of longitude wreaked economic havoc on the grandest scale.
- But whether or not there are symptoms, the virus can wreak havoc over the years.
- Claret, chocolate or turkey curry stains can wreak seasonal havoc.
- The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.
- The story deals with the aftermath of warfare, particularly the devastation wreaked by land mines.
- Unassimilated, they might one day wreak havoc in her life.
Longman Language Activatorto harm a person, group, country etc
to have a bad effect on something, in a way that makes it weaker, less effective, or less successful: · Walking out without giving any notice will only harm your career.· Any scandal will certainly harm the company's reputation.· These new export restrictions are sure to harm the economy.· The most important consideration is that the environment is not harmed.
to permanently harm something such as the success, health, or image of a person, organization etc so that they are not as effective as before: · Several recent events have damaged the government's public image.· This is likely to damage Scott's reputation even more.seriously/badly damage something: · Smoking can seriously damage your health.· The company's future prospects will be badly damaged if this deal falls through.
to change or effect something in a harmful way: · Drinking so much is bound to have a bad effect on your health.· An increase in interest rates at the present time would definitely be bad for business.
to have a sudden bad effect on someone or something, harming them badly: · A sudden rise in inflation always hits living standards.be badly hit: · Southern England has been badly hit by flooding, and many homes are now without power.hit something/somebody hard: · Elderly people were the hardest hit by the increase in tax on fuel.
to have a bad effect on an organization or activity, by making it less successful or effective: · Most companies have been hurt by the economic slowdown.· This is mainly going to hurt those who already have least.
to harm the plans, chances, confidence etc of a person or organization: · It would be stupid to pretend this was anything but a blow to the prime minister.be a big/serious/severe etc blow: · The incident was a severe blow to UN peace efforts.· Losing the match against Rumania, dealt a huge blow to the team.
to harm something such as an ability or the way a body or system works - use this especially in medical or technical contexts: · If a witness is allowed to withhold evidence, it impairs the legal process.· Alcohol significantly impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery.
formal to be likely to harm something: · Working in front of a computer all day may be detrimental to your eyesight.· Any further housing development will be detrimental to the character of this small town.
if you do something at the expense of someone or something else, you do it in order to gain an advantage, even if it harms them or has a bad effect on them: · Cigarette manufacturers continue to pursue profit at the expense of our children.· Many people are now working a fifty or sixty hour week, at the expense of their family life.
to seriously harm something by causing a lot of harm and confusion: · A major computer failure wrought havoc on the New York Subway last night.wreak havoc/play havoc with: · Working so late is starting to play havoc with her social life.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy For some children, the first fall of snow is an opportunity to create mayhem.
formal (=cause destruction)· The destruction wrought by the hurricane left thousands of people homeless.
policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy For some children, the first fall of snow is an opportunity to create mayhem. formal (=take revenge)· He was exacting revenge on society.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· He was the only one to know that today was the day when Hasan was going to wreak his revenge.· Unfortunately the lemonade was beginning to wreak its awful revenge in several ways, one of which could not be ignored.
· So that she could wreak her vengeance?· First, Burghgesh could have survived and come back to wreak vengeance.· It is hardly surprising that it should occasionally wreak vengeance on its executioner.· Too late I realised he was desperate for a scapegoat, desperate to wreak his personal vengeance on Moira's killer.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1 wreak havoc/mayhem/destruction (on something) to cause a lot of damage or problems: - And they wreak havoc with the goal of raising revenue efficiently.
- But we all know that a moment's overload, may wreak havoc.
- Did they hire a private eye to wreak havoc on the life of the harasser?
- Since elk can also wreak havoc in cropland and forestry plantations, a record 70,000 animals are being culled this hunting season.
- The goat, being a goat, wreaks havoc, and the tenant grows desperate.
- The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.
- This is a critical feature on such an instrument, as a badly cut nut here would wreak havoc on playability.
- Unassimilated, they might one day wreak havoc in her life.
- First, Burghgesh could have survived and come back to wreak vengeance.
- It is hardly surprising that it should occasionally wreak vengeance on its executioner.
These policies have wreaked havoc on the British economy.2wreak revenge/vengeance (on somebody) formal to do something unpleasant to someone to punish them for something they have done to you: He promised to wreak vengeance on those who had betrayed him.