wreck
Americannoun
-
wrecks
plural
-
any building, structure, or thing reduced to a state of ruin.
-
wreckage, goods, etc., remaining above water after a shipwreck, especially when cast ashore.
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
wrecks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wrecked,
past participle, past
-
wrecking
present participle
verb
-
to involve in or suffer disaster or destruction
-
(tr) to cause the wreck of (a ship)
noun
-
-
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
Usage
What does wreck mean? To wreck something is to destroy, ruin, or severely damage it. It’s commonly used in the context of the destruction of physical objects, as in He wrecked the car when he hit the tree. Nonphysical things can also be wrecked, as in Tom’s poor planning wrecked his chances of finishing his homework in time to go to baseball practice. Wreck is also commonly used as a noun referring to something that has been destroyed or turned into a ruin, such as a building, as in All that was left of the house after the fire was a burnt wreck. Wreck is often used figuratively to describe a person who is in bad health or who is emotionally or mentally unwell, as in Stress reduces him to a nervous wreck. Wreck is also used in a more specific way to refer to sunken or destroyed ships, as in The diver went to the bottom of the sea to explore the wreck. The word shipwreck means the same thing. The word wreckage refers to the remains of something that has been wrecked. Example: I cried so much at the end of that movie that I was an emotional wreck for the rest of the day.
Synonym Usage
See spoil.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wrecksimple
-
wreckssimple
-
have wreckedperfect
-
has wreckedperfect
-
am wreckingprogressive
-
are wreckingprogressive
-
is wreckingprogressive
-
have been wreckingperfect progressive
-
has been wreckingperfect progressive
Past
-
wreckedsimple
-
had wreckedperfect
-
was wreckingprogressive
-
were wreckingprogressive
-
had been wreckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wreck
First recorded in 1200–50; (noun) Middle English wrec, wrech, wrek, from Old Danish wrækæ “wreck”; (verb) late Middle English, derivative of the noun
Explanation
A wreck is something that's been destroyed. Your hair might be a wreck after a bad day at the barber. Your car might be a wreck after you hit a telephone pole. Your house might be a wreck after a visit from 3-year-old twins. You might be an emotional wreck after a fight with your boyfriend. A sunken ship is a wreck, or a shipwreck. When you hit that telephone pole, you’ve had a wreck, and you can also call your mangled car a wreck. When you’re next heading out with the car keys, you mom might say, "Don't wreck the car!,” hoping you’ll bring it back in one piece.
Vocabulary lists containing wreck
"Return to Titanic" and "Talking with Robert Ballard"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Commonly Confused Words, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The Victoria returned home as “a listing wreck of groaning timbers taking in water from every seam.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026
There’s little left of the ship itself but based on clues from its cargo – including pottery vessels – a research team I was part of has tentatively dated the wreck to around 2700–2400 BCE.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
SpaceX’s results and a surprise update from the AI server maker Super Micro have helped to restore some enthusiasm to the artificial-intelligence trade on Wall Street after last week’s tech wreck.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, it said the Norwich City wreck may lend credence to the researchers' theory.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Gasa and Kumana decided to take a look at the wreck, see if there was anything worth salvaging.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
While maritime archaeology is a relatively recent phenomenon, some of the world’s most famous wrecks have been discovered there.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
There are hundreds of wrecks in the area, and the Mediterranean Archaelogy Association specialises in finding and studying them.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
It struck musicians and illustrators, YouTubers and Instagrammers, self-proclaimed anxious wrecks and the freest of spirits.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
“I love my sisters so much that the idea that something could happen to them — it wrecks me,” Haim says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Max and I sure have turned all the adults into emotional wrecks.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
It takes maybe an afternoon, and it’s the difference between your family grieving and your family grieving while also being financially wrecked.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
“The Dog Stars” takes place in a wrecked, deserted 2035, after a viral plague has killed almost everybody on Earth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Sniffer dogs in Japan helped rescuers Friday make a final sweep of a shopping mall wrecked by an explosion after a big earthquake, as the death toll from the tremor three days earlier hit 35.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
The art school previously insisted it was committed to a faithful reinstatement of the building, which was designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh but wrecked by two fires in 2014 and 2018.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Pleasure from being mistaken for Danny’s brother wasn't quite wrecked by Hangman not letting me say the “Seven” in 7UP.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
The classic metal-front diner with yellow neon signs was saved from the wrecking ball in 2024, and reopened soon after with an elevated Tex-Mex menu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Of course, “The Eric André Show,” a parody of late-night talk series, always begins with its eponymous host wrecking his set in the most chaotic manner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
His comments on the sidelines of G20 talks come as Russian and Ukrainian strikes targeting Black Sea ports have been wrecking and idling agricultural export capacity more quickly than trade flows can recover.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Whether he takes a wrecking ball to it or lets it stagnate, the Kennedy Center threatens to become his latest victim.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
How can love be such a wrecking ball?
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
