wreak
To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harmTo cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm.
» Vandals wreaked havoc in the abandoned house.
Вандалы устроили погром в заброшенном доме.
Вандали вчинили погром у покинутому будинку.
Meaning
4 senses(transitive)To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm.
The earthquake wreaked havoc in the city.
She wreaked her anger on his car.
verursachen, auslassen, anrichten
наноси́тьnanosítʹ, причиня́тьpričinjátʹ
(archaic)To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite.
The police abused their authority to wreak an innocent.
The criminal has been wreaked by the Judge to spend a year in prison.
(archaic)To inflict or take vengeance on.
(archaic)To take vengeance for.
rächen
мститьmstitʹ
- cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
Examples
17 sentencesVandals wreaked havoc in the abandoned house.
Вандали вчинили погром у покинутому будинку.
ruВандалы устроили погром в заброшенном доме.
The children wreaked havoc in the house.
Діти вчинили гармидер удома.
The golem wreaked havoc on the village.
They wreaked bloody havoc on the city.
A hurricane can wreak destruction everywhere it goes.
Translations
5 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English wreken, from Old English wrecan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrekan, froFrom Middle English wreken, from Old English wrecan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrekan, from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“push, shove, drive, track down”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Dutch wreken, German rächen, Swedish vräka; cognate via PIE with Latin urgēre (English urge), and distantly cognate with English wreck.
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Forms
wreaks, wreaking, wreaked, wreakedSynonyms
4 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle