wreck
any building, structure, or thing reduced to a state of ruin.
the ruin or destruction of a vessel in the course of navigation; shipwreck.
a vessel in a state of ruin from disaster at sea, on rocks, etc.
the ruin or destruction of anything: the wreck of one's hopes.
a person of ruined health; someone in bad shape physically or mentally: The strain of his work left him a wreck.
to cause the wreck of (a vessel); shipwreck.
to involve in a wreck.
to cause the ruin or destruction of: to wreck a car.
to tear down; demolish: to wreck a building.
to ruin or impair severely: Fast living wrecked their health.
Origin of wreck
1synonym study For wreck
Other words for wreck
Other words from wreck
- un·wrecked, adjective
Words that may be confused with wreck
- wreak, wreck
Words Nearby wreck
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wreck in a sentence
Even with its impressive rainy-day fund, its state budget is a wreck.
State Budgets Are In Tatters. Republicans in Washington Say Too Bad | Philip Elliott | February 4, 2021 | TimeRight now I’m much more casual about my hair being a wreck or whatever.
The Lost Year: Exercise in quarantine, keeping a business alive, and the unusual intimacy of Zoom | Emily VanDerWerff | December 31, 2020 | VoxThis one shows the percent of bottom-dwelling fish from each wreck that are roughly a certain length.
Analyze This: Shipwrecks provide a home for bottom-dwelling fish | Carolyn Wilke | December 4, 2020 | Science News For StudentsUltimately, the design promises to reduce the profound rotational forces that slam brain tissue into the skull during a wreck.
The wreck occurred on the opening lap as drivers were making their first moves and Grosjean’s car made contact with Daniil Kyvat’s at the third turn of the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Romain Grosjean escapes explosion, fiery Formula One crash with minor injuries | Cindy Boren | November 30, 2020 | Washington Post
Or for the first time, if you missed the glorious train-wreck that was the Sex Pistols.
The Rancid Ballad of Johnny Rotten: His Memoir Seethes With Anger—And Charm | Legs McNeil | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBig Bird's honest reaction will emotionally wreck you in a way even The Fault in Our Stars can't.
Given such a multi-vehicle car wreck, voters have understandably tuned out and turnout is expected to be extremely low.
We love a train wreck because it makes us feel better about our own problems.
From Britney to Bynes, Why Do We Love Watching Mentally Ill Celebs? | Molly Oswaks | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe first car wreck that followed is a funny story about our teenage years that we truly enjoy telling.
She saw in the chair a thin, broken figure, a drawn brown face, a wreck of a man.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydAn old horse, with traces hanging and harness a wreck, stands snorting beside the boy.
A Lost Hero | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. WardThe gale still lasted, and the steamer was in momentary danger of becoming a complete wreck.
Uncanny Tales | VariousIn passing round Cape Flinders, there appeared to be a considerable diminution in the remains of the Frederick's wreck.
Many years ago, while a clergyman on the coast of Cornwall was in the midst of his sermon, the alarm was given, A wreck!
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
British Dictionary definitions for wreck
/ (rɛk) /
to involve in or suffer disaster or destruction
(tr) to cause the wreck of (a ship)
the accidental destruction of a ship at sea
the ship so destroyed
maritime law goods cast ashore from a wrecked vessel
a person or thing that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
the remains of something that has been destroyed
old-fashioned the act of wrecking or the state of being wrecked; ruin or destruction
Origin of wreck
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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