shipwreck
Americannoun
-
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)
noun
-
the partial or total destruction of a ship at sea
-
a wrecked ship or part of such a ship
-
ruin or destruction
the shipwreck of all my hopes
verb
-
to wreck or destroy (a ship)
-
to bring to ruin or destruction
Etymology
Origin of shipwreck
before 1100; Middle English shipwrech remains of a shipwreck; see ship 1, wreck; replacing Old English scipwræc ( see wrack)
Explanation
A shipwreck is the damaged remains of a large sea-going vessel that washes to shore or sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Historians are interested in old shipwrecks, which reveal details of who was onboard or what was being transported when the ship was badly damaged. You can use the word for the act of the ship's destruction as well as the wreckage left behind: "The shipwreck occurred when the Titanic struck an iceberg." Storms, accidents, war, and sabotage can all lead to shipwrecks. An earlier maritime word with the same meaning was "ship-breaking."
Vocabulary lists containing shipwreck
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She told me she bought it weeks before at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
From Slate • Nov. 10, 2025
Shipwreck hunters are also looking for wrecks for their historical value, rather than for sunken treasure.
From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2024
Kemp has previously taken part in Sky History programmes which involved him deep-sea diving, including Shipwreck Treasure Hunter and Deep Sea Treasure Hunter.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2023
In “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder,” he has found not just a good but a great story, fraught with duplicity, terror and occasional heroism.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2023
C.C. flew off toward the Shipwreck while Duane walked across the Mainly Frozen Ocean, led by his growing curiosity.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
