to cause chaos
7
4.1
- phrasal verb
- /kɔz ˈkeɪɑs/
:
causar caos
- Last Monday, an unofficial one-day strike by about 500 train drivers caused chaos in London.
- cause chaos in this country
- going to cause chaos
If I bring some things and you guys happen to just cause chaos, that's not my fault.
- If I bring some things and you guys happen to just cause chaos, that's not my fault.
- I'm sure that in many households it caused chaos and was a funny event, but not in mine.
- All they want to do is feed the flames that already exist, feed both sides equally, and just cause chaos.
- If somebody's causing chaos, right, it's not because there is chaos.
- His name is Mopey and cries would pretty much 'cause chaos.
- Like I, I just don't think we realize what level they're willing to to go to, to cause chaos.
- I think there are some institutions that probably would cause chaos if they failed, but I would I would make that very, very few and far between.
Examples
-
In April 2010, fine airborne ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused chaos throughout European airspace.
Academic text (2012) -
All you've done since you got here is cause chaos.
-
Teams shift from one division to another every year, causing chaos to the system.
Blog text (17) -
And what we have again, seen very clearly is weak foreign policy causes chaos around the world.
-
Take a peek at the system that is going to cause chaos all over.
Blog text (26) -
A large terrorist attack in one or more American cities would cause chaos, panic, and fear, leading to more government control over our daily lives.
Blog text (5) -
I think there are some institutions that probably would cause chaos if they failed, but I would I would make that very, very few and far between.
-
To keep it close, the Beavers need to create negative plays by causing chaos.
Blog text (16) -
He has learned that even mild hurricanes can cause chaos.
Academic text (2011) -
In April 2010, fine airborne ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused chaos throughout European airspace.
Synonyms
269
4.4
To interrupt normal activity and cause disorder
103
3.2
To do things that make problems for other people
51
4.5
Cause a big sudden change that leaves people confused
48
4.8
To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear
20
7.5
To act wildly and cause chaos
7
5.5
To make something untidy or not in its usual order
5
5.3
To cause fights or problems between people on purpose
4
4.5
To make something lose its order or structure
1
2.1
Make a place messy so things are not in order
1
7.7
To cause a sudden change that upsets the normal order of a system or situation
1
9.9
To cause a lot of damage and chaos to a place or thing
1
5.6
To make things untidy or cause confusion
1
7.5
Cause confusion or disorder in plans, work and schedules
To make a situation very messy and badly managed
To say or do things that cause arguments and make people angry
How Chaotic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make a situation very disordered or confused' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'cause' (to bring about) with 'chaos' (complete disorder); a learner who knows both words can readily infer the phrase's meaning. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward verb + noun causation, so it should be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Cause chaos comes from the simple image of one action that suddenly makes a place messy and noisy, like knocking over boxes in a shop so everything flies around. That's why cause (to make) and chaos (a big mess) together mean 'to make a situation very disordered or confused'.