wreck 1 of 2

1
as in wreckage
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed found the wreck of the ship lying on the floor of the ocean

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2
as in wrecking
the destruction or loss of a ship the wreck cost the insurance company millions of dollars

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3
as in collision
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact a dangerous stretch of roadway that has been the scene of numerous car wrecks

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wreck

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to shipwreck
to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island

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2
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wreck
Noun
The Browns wouldn’t entertain his trade demand and plan to continue to have Garrett wreck opposing offenses. Zac Jackson, New York Times, 1 May 2025 Located in shallow waters near Costa Rica’s Cahuita National Park, the wrecks were long thought to belong to pirate ships, according to local legend. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025
Verb
That might also wreck my microbiome and set off a cascade of inflammation in my body, says Kleiner. Julia Ries, Outside Online, 16 May 2025 That will keep you from hiring a really talented person that brings in too much change at once and wrecks your dream team. William Vanderbloemen, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for wreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wreck
Noun
  • Sparks fly from the wreckage like shooting stars falling from heaven.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 20 May 2025
  • In the immediate aftermath, the videos showed, some people were hanging from the wreckage by ropes, and others inched along on their bellies toward the center.
    Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • Crew members were harnessed to the masts for the ship’s traditional departure performance at the time of the collision.
    David Matthews, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025
  • This replenishment likely comes from collisions between dwarf planets, cometary nuclei, micrometeoroids and other flotsam and jetsam lurking in the dark of the debris disk.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • Historical sources had recorded that two Danish slave vessels were shipwrecked off the coast of Central America in 1710: The Fridericus Quartus was set on fire, while the anchor rope of the Christianus Quintus was cut and the ship was swept away.
    Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
  • Sawai's Mariko serves as a critical interpreter between the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga and an Englishman shipwrecked in Japan, John Blackthorne.
    Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
  • But that stumble constitutes Hwang’s only confrontation with the hypocrisy that ruins Yellow Face and its inherent PBS conceit.
    Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • Species: The most valuable trees are hardy, durable, highly adaptable and won’t drop debris like nuts or pods everywhere.
    LEW SICHELMAN, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
  • In February 2025, officials noted that although Lake James is safe for swimming and boating in the summer 2025 season, boaters need to take extra caution with remaining debris in the water after Hurricane Helene.
    Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Members of Congress must listen to the experts — those of us who are first on the scene of a crash, those of us who conduct the investigations into the crashes and those of us who must tell families that their husband/wife, son/daughter, mother/father is not coming home.
    Art Bodenheimer, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 May 2025
  • That same weekend, six people died in three separate crashes on north Texas roads, including a collision involving a wrong-way driver that left two dead in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 18, KXAS reported.
    Sam Gillette, People.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Twenty-two teams voted in favor of a ban and 10 teams opposed it − two votes short of what was needed to scuttle the play.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 24 May 2025
  • Republicans don’t want to defy the wishes of Trump, but the prescription drug industry is generous during election years and GOP lawmakers are under heavy pressure to scuttle his order, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.
    Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Another key feature of algae oil is its high smoke point of 535 degrees—the temperature at which oil begins to break down, release dangerous chemicals, and destroy its nutrients.
    Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 27 May 2025
  • During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.
    Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wreck. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

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