cry havoc

Idioms and Phrases

Sound an alarm or warning, as in In his sermon the pastor cried havoc to the congregation's biases against gays . The noun havoc was once a command for invaders to begin looting and killing the defenders' town. Shakespeare so used it in Julius Caesar (3:1): “Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the dogs of war.” By the 19th century the phrase had acquired its present meaning.

More About Cry Havoc

What does cry havoc mean?

Cry havoc means to raise an alarm or give a warning.

The word havoc means chaos, disorder, or confusion. It can also mean destruction, damage, or ruin. In many cases, it refers to a combination of these things. The phrases wreak havoc, play havoc, and raise havoc mean to cause chaos or destruction or both.

Cry havoc, though, means to warn others, perhaps when something destructive (havoc) may or is about to happen.

While havoc is associated with seriously destructive and chaotic situations, such as natural disasters, it can be used in a range of situations: a hurricane can cause havoc throughout a region, while a strong gust of wind can wreak havoc on your hair.

The phrase cry havoc can be used in an even broader range of contexts. Crying havoc can involve a warning about something like a potential disaster, but it can also involve many other things, such as warning for someone to change their behavior.

Example: We need to cry havoc and warn people about the dangers that our democracy faces.

Where does cry havoc come from?

The first records of the phrase cry havoc come from around the 1400s, and its origin is closely tied with that of the word havoc. Havoc comes from the Old French havot, meaning “to pillage” (to violently loot and plunder a place, especially during a war). In Anglo-French, the spelling havok was used in the phrase crier havok, meaning “to cry havoc.”

This refers to the practice of a military commander shouting “Havoc!” as a command to start pillaging. Shakespeare uses it this way in Julius Caesar: “Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.” Eventually, cry havoc took on a new meaning: “to sound the alarm”—maybe because havoc is coming. (The phrase dogs of war also has a metaphorical meaning—it refers to the chaos that war brings.)

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What are some other forms related to cry havoc?

• havocked (past tense verb)
• havocking (continuous tense verb)
• havocker (noun)

What are some synonyms for cry havoc?

• sound the alarm
• raise the alarm
• give warning

What are some words that share a root or word element with cry havoc? 

• cry
• havoc
• cry wolf
• wreak havoc
• raise havoc
• play havoc

What are some words that often get used in discussing cry havoc?

• warning
• caution
• alarm
• danger
• destruction
• disaster
• chaos
• pillage

How is cry havoc used in real life?

When people say cry havoc, they are often referencing the line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.” But the phrase can be used in many different contexts.

I've been asking you to cry havoc, and you have been crying havoc. But I think there are some in the back who are still pretending they can't hear us.

— Alexandra Erin (@AlexandraErin) November 8, 2017

A disturbance in the Force…as if a subtitle has been announced for the next Star Wars movie, and fandom is crying havoc. #TheForceAwakens

— Dayton Ward (@daytonward) November 6, 2014

Current mood: Crying havoc.

— The Omnipresent Hum of Stars Dead and Distant (@PureGreySilence) March 18, 2014

 

Try using cry havoc!

Which of the following phrases is a synonym of cry havoc?

A. wreak havoc
B. raise havoc
C. play havoc
D. none of the above