Showing results for "wrack"

• a variation of rack.

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)

• wracks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wracked,
  past participle,  past
• wracking
  present participle

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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• wracking
  present
• wracked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wrack
  simple
• wracks
  simple
• have wracked
  perfect
• has wracked
  perfect
• am wracking
  progressive
• are wracking
  progressive
• is wracking
  progressive
• have been wracking
  perfect progressive
• has been wracking
  perfect progressive

Past

• wracked
  simple
• had wracked
  perfect
• was wracking
  progressive
• were wracking
  progressive
• had been wracking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wrack
  simple
• will have wracked
  perfect
• will be wracking
  progressive
• will have been wracking
  perfect progressive

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”; see wreak

Explanation

Wrack is when something falls into disrepair. When an old house deteriorates, you can describe its wrack, or the process of its crumbling collapse. You're most likely to come across the noun wrack in the phrase "go to wrack and ruin." This is a descriptive way to talk about the collapse or gradual breakdown of something, either literal — "I hate to see that building go to wrack and ruin," or figurative — "Their marriage went to wrack and ruin after a year." In the fourteenth century, a wrack was a shipwreck, from the Middle Dutch wrak, or "wreck."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wrack wracks wracked wracking

Also unearthed were fireplaces containing evidence of the burning of toothed wrack seaweed to form soda ash.

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026

The team's model was built on a time series of wind, wave, wrack, and beach-width data at five sandy beaches over 11 years.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 4, 2024

From there, he had to "wrack his brain for what to do" because the music on this new album was so different from the band's "Love Me Do" days.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2022

“I wrack my memory to recall a concert in which music was worse served,” I wrote then.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2021

After we had tied the skiff high above the wrack line, we took Mouse inside with us and locked the door and all the windows but the one next to Osh’s bed.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Like many of us at this time of year, Josie Hughes wracks her brain to think of gifts for friends and family.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2024

The seaweeds with the greatest nutritional value include those often referred to as the "wracks".

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2024

If a customer wracks up a bill of more than $50, their bill can be sent to a collection agency — an additional $15 fee on their library account.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2021

The former governor has kept a public profile as the coronavirus crisis wracks health care workers across the country and has resulted in stay-at-home orders and other restrictions for many Americans.

From Fox News ● Apr. 1, 2020

The remembrance of her imminent departure wracks my old body with grief, but it’s quickly displaced by joy—I am now close enough to hear the music thumping from the big top.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

The smell of burning reached central Madrid early Saturday, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was set to visit the zone wracked by what officials have called the surrounding region's worst fire on record.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

The recent software rally has offered some vindication for bulls who stood by their contrarian calls after a brutal selloff wracked the sector earlier this year.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

Rowe wracked her brain for something, or someone, who might be able to help her sister.

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

While Vesia’s statement was wracked with sorrow, it was also filled with gratitude.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

Now Tansy wracked her brain for what came next.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

But it also means millions of Americans are carrying a credit-card balance — with many of them wracking up credit-card debt to buy food, according to a new Urban Institute report.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

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 ● Feb. 2, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

“It’s nerve wracking to watch him — you couldn’t get a better match for the fans, but I hated it,” Sinjin said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2025

Camel coughs wetly, the effort wracking his body.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• decimate
• torment
• wreck