HAYWIRE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does haywire mean? 

• HAYWIRE (noun)
  The noun HAYWIRE has 1 sense:

1. wire for tying up bales of hay

  Familiarity information: HAYWIRE used as a noun is very rare.

• HAYWIRE (adjective)
  The adjective HAYWIRE has 2 senses:

1. informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

2. not functioning properly

  Familiarity information: HAYWIRE used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HAYWIRE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Wire for tying up bales of hay

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("haywire" is a kind of...):

wire (ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc)

• HAYWIRE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Informal or slang terms for mentally irregular

Synonyms:

around the bend; balmy; barmy; bats; batty; bonkers; buggy; cracked; crackers; daft; dotty; fruity; haywire; kookie; kooky; loco; loony; loopy; nuts; nutty; round the bend; wacky; whacky

Context example:

it used to drive my husband balmy

Similar:

insane (afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Not functioning properly

Synonyms:

amiss; awry; haywire; wrong

Context example:

something is wrong with the engine

Similar:

malfunctioning; nonfunctional (not performing or able to perform its regular function)

 Context examples 

You may have been browsing new apartments or houses with the plan to move at some point, but with aspects like I just described, things likely went (or still will) go haywire.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

For you, that new moon encouraged you to travel, but if you did, things almost surely went haywire, so it was not the time to leave town. (Later this month, the weekend of November 23-24, will likely bring problems in transportation too, due to Mars opposition Uranus, a severe aspect.) Nevertheless, you will have bright spots to travel in November, so stay with me.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)