noun
haywire
HAY-weye-uh
noun
1
Thin, flexible wire originally used to bind bales of hay.
"He fixed the fence with a bit of old haywire."
adj
1
Out of control, malfunctioning, or thrown into chaos.
"The whole system went haywire the moment the power flickered."
"Her plans went haywire when the flight got cancelled."
How to Use Haywire
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsed almost always in the phrase "go haywire," meaning something has gone chaotically wrong.
Common pairings
go haywire
things went haywire
Word Forms
more haywire comparative, haywired past tense, haywires plural, haywires singular, most haywire superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “haywire”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He fixed the fence with a bit of old _____.
Etymology
From logging camps around 1905, where flimsy equipment held together with hay-bale wire was called a "haywire outfit" — the phrase "go haywire" grew from that image of things falling apart or tangling unpredictably.