shipwreck
Americannoun
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the destruction or loss of a ship, as by sinking.
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the remains of a wrecked ship.
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destruction or ruin.
the shipwreck of one's hopes.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to suffer shipwreck.
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to destroy; ruin.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the partial or total destruction of a ship at sea
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a wrecked ship or part of such a ship
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ruin or destruction
the shipwreck of all my hopes
verb
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to wreck or destroy (a ship)
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to bring to ruin or destruction
Etymology
Origin of shipwreck
before 1100; Middle English shipwrech remains of a shipwreck; ship 1, wreck; replacing Old English scipwræc ( wrack )
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.
They carried the shipwrecked crew through the ocean toward a city that rose in yellow stone out of the water of a lagoon.
From Literature
The RoW confirmed the shoes had been "legally declared", "as they have the potential to have come from a shipwreck".
From BBC
He was talking about the big rusty shipwreck lit up by the green light of the Aurora Borealis.
From Literature
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a search is continuing for other passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
From BBC
Homer’s “The Odyssey” follows Odysseus, a Greek king trying to get home after the Trojan War, a journey interrupted by Cyclopes, sirens, shipwrecks and gods with grudges.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
