1
: something cast up on the land by the sea especially after a shipwreck
2
a
b
: the action of wrecking or fact or state of being wrecked : destruction
c
: a violent and destructive crash
was injured in a car wreck
3
a
: a hulk or the ruins of a wrecked ship
b
: the broken remains of something wrecked or otherwise ruined
c
: something disabled or in a state of ruin or dilapidation
the house was a wreck
also
: a person or animal of broken constitution, health, or spirits
he's a nervous wreck
wrecked; wrecking; wrecks
1
: to cast ashore
2
a
: to reduce to a ruinous state by or as if by violence
a country wrecked by war
ambition wrecked his marriage
b
c
: to ruin, damage, or imperil by a wreck
wrecked the car
3
: bring about, wreak
wreck havoc
Synonyms
Examples of wreck in a Sentence
Noun
This car has never been in a wreck.
The stress of her final exams made her a wreck.
Dad was a nervous wreck on the day I had my surgery.
Verb
I wrecked my mother's car.
Many houses were wrecked by the hurricane.
The affair wrecked his marriage.
Bad weather wrecked our vacation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
The town is a wreck, and the only living beings that come out to greet the liberating column are some dogs.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
In one Tehama County wreck, the pilot of an unregistered private plane was attempting an aerobatic rollover in Corning when the left wing ripped off.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Both teams possess inside-outside tandems that can wreck defenses: Oumar Ballo and Caleb Love for Arizona (31 points per game combined) and PJ Hall and Joseph Girard (33.8 ppg) for Clemson.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
The wreck sits in only nine feet of water and is located at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach, letting snorkelers join scuba enthusiasts.
—Claire Volkman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
The wreck was a setback, and Riker also broke his foot a few days prior to the car accdient.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2024
From the wrecks, to the riots, to a golden age and beyond.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
But the timeline depends on how much damage the ship sustained, and how the responding crews approach the methodical process of removing the bridge, according to emergency management and marine wreck experts.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
The Grizzlies had no business taking that game, much less wrecking the Suns 35-18 in the fourth quarter.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Britain’s biggest political rupture of the century so far, Brexit, was imposed on London (largely against its will—a majority of Londoners voted Remain), disrupting communities, wrecking businesses, and cutting off a flow of young migrants from Europe.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
The slug pulverized her face, destroyed her cheek and jaw, blew away her eye socket and most of her teeth, damaged her optic nerve, wrecked both eyes and left a gaping hole in her cheek.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
An outbreak of black pod disease, a fungal ailment that wrecks cocoa trees, followed the deluge, further eroding crop yields.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Then, in 2022, extreme weather conditions wrecked the first day of Splendour 2022, contributing to softer-than-usual ticket sales for the 2023 edition.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
With that one photo, though, Kensington Palace wrecked its credibility with the press and much of the public.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Lisa also recalled a time in 2015 when Jake led deputies on a multi-county chase before wrecking his car.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Another driver in a wreck across the interstate wasn't as fortunate.
—Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
The town is a wreck, and the only living beings that come out to greet the liberating column are some dogs.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
In one Tehama County wreck, the pilot of an unregistered private plane was attempting an aerobatic rollover in Corning when the left wing ripped off.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Both teams possess inside-outside tandems that can wreck defenses: Oumar Ballo and Caleb Love for Arizona (31 points per game combined) and PJ Hall and Joseph Girard (33.8 ppg) for Clemson.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
The wreck sits in only nine feet of water and is located at the southern end of Seven Mile Beach, letting snorkelers join scuba enthusiasts.
—Claire Volkman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
The wreck was a setback, and Riker also broke his foot a few days prior to the car accdient.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2024
From the wrecks, to the riots, to a golden age and beyond.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
But the timeline depends on how much damage the ship sustained, and how the responding crews approach the methodical process of removing the bridge, according to emergency management and marine wreck experts.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Lost vessel incidents, where a ship is presumed missing or wrecked, have dropped by 36% over the last year, and safety incidents including collisions have plateaued to about 3,000 annually, according to Allianz’s safety report.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
The Grizzlies had no business taking that game, much less wrecking the Suns 35-18 in the fourth quarter.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Britain’s biggest political rupture of the century so far, Brexit, was imposed on London (largely against its will—a majority of Londoners voted Remain), disrupting communities, wrecking businesses, and cutting off a flow of young migrants from Europe.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024
The slug pulverized her face, destroyed her cheek and jaw, blew away her eye socket and most of her teeth, damaged her optic nerve, wrecked both eyes and left a gaping hole in her cheek.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
An outbreak of black pod disease, a fungal ailment that wrecks cocoa trees, followed the deluge, further eroding crop yields.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Then, in 2022, extreme weather conditions wrecked the first day of Splendour 2022, contributing to softer-than-usual ticket sales for the 2023 edition.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
With that one photo, though, Kensington Palace wrecked its credibility with the press and much of the public.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Lisa also recalled a time in 2015 when Jake led deputies on a multi-county chase before wrecking his car.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wreck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wreck
Cite this Entry
“Wreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wreck. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wreck
1 of 2 noun1
: goods cast upon the land by the sea after a shipwreck
3
: the action of wrecking
4
: a destructive crash
was injured in a car wreck
5
: the broken remains of something wrecked or ruined
6
: something in a state of ruin or decay
the old house was a wreck
7
: a person in poor health or spirits
wreck
2 of 2 verb1
a
: to reduce to a state of ruin by or as if by violence
a country wrecked by war
jealousy wrecked their friendship
2
: to damage or ruin by a wreck
wrecked the car
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