Meaning & use

haywire

adjective·Everyday

Out of control, disorganized, or functioning in a completely unpredictable way.

See it in a sentence

The printer went haywire and started spitting out blank pages nonstop.

Plans went haywire the moment the flight was suddenly canceled.

A note on using this word

Haywire is almost always used in the fixed phrase 'go haywire,' describing something suddenly malfunctioning or falling into chaos.

Words with a similar meaning

chaoticerraticout of control

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

orderlycontrolled

Make it your own

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