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.
William Golding wrote his tale partially in response to “The Coral Island,” a Victorian-era potboiler about three boys who survive a shipwreck thanks to their bluff resourcefulness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
The RoW confirmed the shoes had been "legally declared", "as they have the potential to have come from a shipwreck".
From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026
Meanwhile, nonfiction authors contemplate a Spanish shipwreck, a racially motivated murder, the origins of great ideas and how laughter can change our lives.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025
He added that Guinean authorities had helped families of shipwreck victims that they know about, often the few that gain media attention.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
Many of the world’s first shipwreck discoveries were made by people who practiced one of the oldest of all professions—sponge diving.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
