Did you know?
Mayhem Has Legal Roots
Legally speaking, mayhem refers to the gruesome crime of deliberately causing an injury that permanently disfigures another. The name derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb maheimer ("to maim") and is probably of Germanic origin; the English verb maim comes from the same ancestor. The disfigurement sense of mayhem first appeared in English in the 15th century. By the 19th century the word had come to mean any kind of violent behavior; nowadays, mayhem can be used to suggest any kind of chaos or disorder, as in "there was mayhem in the streets during the citywide blackout."
Examples of mayhem in a Sentence
John Schmidt, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
These conditions are actively fueling a large brush fire in southeast Miami-Dade in Homestead and near Florida City that has caused traffic mayhem, intermittently shutting down the only routes into the Florida Keys for days.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
The market mayhem ultimately forced Truss to scrap her calamitous project.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
The megastar brought mayhem to studio 8H last night as both the host and musical guest for the latest episode of Saturday Night Live's 50th season.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mayhem
Cite this Entry
“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayhem. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
California Statewide Law Enforcement Association Legal Definition
mayhem
noun
Note: Under the Model Penal Code and the codes of the states that follow it, mayhem is encompassed by assault and aggravated assault.
Anglo-French mahaim, mahain, literally, mutilation, from Old French mahain, from mahaignier to injure, mutilate
Share