wrecker
Americannoun
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wreckers
plural
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a person or thing that wrecks.
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a person, car, or train employed in removing wreckage, debris, etc., as from railroad tracks.
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Also called tow car, tow truck. a vehicle equipped with a mechanical apparatus for hoisting and pulling, used to tow wrecked, disabled, or stalled automobiles.
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Also called housewrecker. a person whose business it is to demolish and remove houses or other buildings, as in clearing sites for other use.
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a person or vessel employed in recovering salvage from wrecked or disabled vessels.
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a person who plunders wrecks, especially after exhibiting false signals in order to cause shipwrecks.
noun
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a person or thing that ruins or destroys
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a person whose job is to demolish buildings or dismantle cars
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(formerly) a person who lures ships to destruction to plunder the wreckage
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another word for tow truck
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of wrecker
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:
“Maxx remains on track to return during the offseason program and will undoubtedly return as the dominant game wrecker he has been these past seven seasons,” Crosby’s agent, CJ LaBoy, wrote on X.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
The explosive game wrecker who was a no-brainer selection at No. 2 overall in 2020.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
The wrong approach shot could be a card wrecker and potentially provide pivotal drama at the death.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2023
“We have worked a lot of theft cases over the years, but this one definitely takes first place in the heavyweight category,” Sheriff John Shearon’s office said in a statement, thanking the wrecker service.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2022
Tom pulled ditched cars free with his freshly painted two-ton wrecker; Dave sold gasoline, batteries, and motor oil and advised his customers to go home and stay home.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Its work led to House Bill 2153, which makes trafficking catalytic converters a Class C felony and requires new licenses and increased record-keeping for scrap-metal dealers and vehicle wreckers.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2024
The car has had difficulty getting back to pit road with a flat tire and wreckers were on standby all over the track at Las Vegas to give a push when needed.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 7, 2022
Their heavy tow trucks, commonly known as "wreckers", can ostensibly help clear the roads, but trucker Doug Rowland says many may be reluctant to get involved for both political and practical reasons.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2022
Sometimes you have to use multiple wreckers to move a truck around.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 8, 2022
My mother threw a fit, though, when she heard that—and the home wreckers took cover for a while.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
