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View synonyms for

mayhem

[mey-hem, mey-uhm]

noun

  1. Law.the crime of willfully inflicting a bodily injury on another so as to make the victim less capable of self-defense or, under modern statutes, so as to cripple or mutilate the victim.

  2. random or deliberate violence or damage.

  3. a state of rowdy disorder.

    Antagonisms between the various factions at the meeting finally boiled over, and mayhem ensued.



mayhem

/ ˈɪɛ /

noun

  1. law the wilful and unlawful infliction of injury upon a person, esp (formerly) the injuring or removing of a limb rendering him less capable of defending himself against attack

  2. any violent destruction or confusion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mayhem1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English maheym, maim, from Anglo-French mahe(i)m, mahaim, from Germanic; akin to Middle High German meidem “gelding,” Old Norse meitha “to injure”; maim
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mayhem1

C15: from Anglo-French mahem injury, from Germanic; related to Icelandic meitha to hurt. See maim
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Ken said he was concerned that the curfew could result in events in the area being canceled, or mayhem after Dodgers games if people have to leave by 8 p.m.

From

Scenes of mayhem and violence have emerged from the protests in Los Angeles.

From

And yet the region’s two largest police agencies are suddenly on the front lines of the Trump administration’s crackdown, clashing in the street with demonstrators — most peaceful and some seemingly intent on causing mayhem.

From

But the guns kept coming — and the bloodletting and mayhem grew.

From

It sets off the evening’s desperate downward spiral, lots of silly mayhem and an absurd cover-up.

From

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mayhappenMayhew