noun
mayhem
MAY-hehm
noun
1
Wild confusion, disorder, or chaos.
"The power cut plunged the office into complete mayhem."
"There was mayhem in the stadium after the final goal."
2
The crime of deliberately and violently injuring or maiming someone.
"He was charged with mayhem after the brutal attack."
How to Use Mayhem
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTotal chaos or disorder — everything happening at once and out of control.
Common pairings
sheer mayhem
cause mayhem
chaos and mayhem
Word Forms
mayhemed past tense, mayhems plural, mayhems singular
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The power cut plunged the office into complete _____.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman mahaim ("mutilation"), ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "to cripple" — the everyday "chaos" sense developed later from the legal one.