wrack

American  

[rak] / ræk /

noun

1. wreck or wreckage.

2. damage or destruction.

   wrack and ruin.

3. a trace of something destroyed.

   leaving not a wrack behind.

4. seaweed or other vegetation cast on the shore.

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verb (used with object)

1. to wreck.

   He wracked his car up on the river road.

wrack ¹ British  

/ ræk /

noun

1. seaweed or other marine vegetation that is floating in the sea or has been cast ashore

2. any of various seaweeds of the genus Fucus, such as F. serratus ( serrated wrack )

3. literary

   1. a wreck or piece of wreckage

   2. a remnant or fragment of something destroyed

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wrack ² British  

/ ræk /

noun

1. collapse or destruction (esp in the phrase wrack and ruin )

2. something destroyed or a remnant of such

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verb

1. a variant spelling of rack 1

wrack Idioms  

1. see under rack.

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Usage

The use of the spelling wrack rather than rack in sentences such as she was wracked by grief or the country was wracked by civil war is very common but is thought by many people to be incorrect

Etymology

Origin of wrack

First recorded before 900; Middle English wrak (noun), Old English wræc “vengeance, misery,” akin to wracu “vengeance, misery,” wrecan “to drive out, punish”; wreak

Example Sentences

In 1972, with enrollment dwindling and poverty and violence wracking the city, the order split and the school shut down.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Today was a little bit nerve wracking, especially waiting for what the final say was going to be," Korda said.

From Barron's

Sullivan had been wracked with guilt since Sadat’s death and vowed to help.

From Los Angeles Times

Eastern DR Congo has been wracked by conflict for more than 30 years, with numerous peace initiatives aimed at ending the fighting having failed.

From BBC

Brussels is wracked with anxiety about how to foster a more competitive digital marketplace.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decimate
• torment
• wreck