shipwreck

[ ship-rek ]

/ ˈʃɪpˌrɛk /

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See synonyms for: shipwreck / shipwrecked / shipwrecking on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the remains of a wrecked ship.

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

verb (used with object)

to cause to suffer shipwreck.

to destroy; ruin.

verb (used without object)

to suffer shipwreck.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of shipwreck

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

Words nearby shipwreck

ship's stores, ships that pass in the night, ship-to-shore, shipway, shipworm, shipwreck, shipwright, shipyard, shiralee, Shiraz, shire

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use shipwreck in a sentence

Stanford’s OceanOne diving robot was able to retrieve a vase from an underwater shipwreck, hypothetically reducing the need for people to go on dangerous diving missions.
Tesla wants to make humanoid robots. Here’s their competition.|Charlotte Hu|August 24, 2021|Popular-Science
Intrepid locals have long practiced what is now known as deep-water free-soloing—climbing sheer limestone faces with only the ocean to break your fall—and free diving among hundreds of shipwrecks that rest offshore.
The 25 Best Fall Trips in the World|jversteegh|August 9, 2021|Outside Online
More generally, you can’t explain the presence of a lifeboat aboard a pirate ship only in terms of an actual shipwreck.
Our Little Life Is Rounded with Possibility - Issue 102: Hidden Truths|Chiara Marletto|June 9, 2021|Nautilus
That revelation coincided with the introduction of zombies to Verdansk, which first appeared at the site of a shipwreck on the map’s southeast shoreline near the prison.
‘Call of Duty: Warzone’ finally nukes Verdansk map|Mike Hume|April 21, 2021|Washington Post

While traveling 1,000 miles on her custom fat bike, Leeming wove past aging shipwrecks and sun-bleached animal bones and took in stunning views of the arid landscape.
Kate Leeming Travels Namibia’s Skeleton Coast by Bike|Outside Editors|April 7, 2021|Outside Online
Instead, the Giglese will commemorate the shipwreck with a prayer service on Jan. 13 every year, and nothing more.
Saying Goodbye to the Salvage Saviors of Giglio|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The discovery of the latest victims brings to 25 the total confirmed dead from the fatal shipwreck.
8 More Bodies Found on Shipwrecked Italian Cruise Ship|Barbie Latza Nadeau|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How much is a terrifying experience like surviving a shipwreck worth?
Why Survivors Aren’t Buying Costa Concordia’s Compensation Offer|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He faces charges of multiple manslaughter, abandoning ship, and causing a shipwreck.
Costa Concordia Mess Widens With Salvage Team, Criminal Probe|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He faces pending charges for multiple counts of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning ship.
Francesco Schettino, the Costa Concordia’s Daredevil Captain|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Thus wanderingMy thought in this immensity is drowned;And sweet to me is shipwreck on this sea.
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi|Giacomo Leopardi
It was her daughter, Helene, who had just escaped shipwreck, saving only one child.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
Of this shipwreck Machault says never a word; he merely says that Ceyx died in the sea.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
He was all they had, this baby—he was all they had saved out of the ruin of their lives, out of the shipwreck of their love.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
In the rocky gorges of the ocean we may often trace a strange permanent impersonation of shipwreck.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for shipwreck

shipwreck

/ (ˈʃɪpˌrɛk) /

noun

the partial or total destruction of a ship at sea

a wrecked ship or part of such a ship

ruin or destructionthe shipwreck of all my hopes

verb (tr)

to wreck or destroy (a ship)

to bring to ruin or destruction

Word Origin for shipwreck

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

shipwreck

Origin of shipwreck

Words nearby shipwreck

Words related to shipwreck

How to use shipwreck in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shipwreck

Word Origin for shipwreck