fear and a great lack of order, usually caused by violent behaviour or by some sudden terrible event 骚乱;慌乱 There was absolute mayhem when everyone tried to get out at once. 众人蜂拥而出,造成了极大的混乱。 It only takes a few stupid people to create mayhem in a crowd. 在人群中制造混乱只需要几个愚蠢的人。 The gales caused mayhem across much of the country. 狂风在该国大部分地区造成了混乱。 The terrorists brought mayhem to the crowded shopping area. 恐怖分子在人流密集的商业区制造恐慌。
Word Originearly 16th cent.: from Old French mayhem (see maim). The sense ‘disorder’ (originally US) dates from the late 19th cent.