shipwreck

[ ship-rek ]
See synonyms for: shipwreckshipwreckedshipwrecking on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the destruction or loss of a ship, as by sinking.

  2. the remains of a wrecked ship.

  1. destruction or ruin: the shipwreck of one's hopes.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to suffer shipwreck.

  2. to destroy; ruin.

verb (used without object)
  1. to suffer shipwreck.

Origin of shipwreck

1
before 1100; Middle English shipwrech remains of a shipwreck; see ship1, wreck; replacing Old English scipwræc (see wrack)

Words Nearby shipwreck

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shipwreck in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shipwreck

shipwreck

/ (ˈʃɪpˌrɛk) /


noun
  1. the partial or total destruction of a ship at sea

  2. a wrecked ship or part of such a ship

  1. ruin or destruction: the shipwreck of all my hopes

verb(tr)
  1. to wreck or destroy (a ship)

  2. to bring to ruin or destruction

Origin of shipwreck

1
Old English scipwræc, from ship + wræc something driven by the sea; see wrack ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012