wrecking

American

[rek-ing] / ˈrɛk ɪŋ /

noun

the act, work, or business of a wrecker.

adjective

employed or for use in wrecking.

a wrecking crew.

Etymology

Origin of wrecking

First recorded in 1795–1805; wreck + -ing ¹

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:

wrecking

Rather, he yelled at them in a private meeting, complaining that by threatening to stop the war, they were wrecking his bargaining power in the ongoing peace talks.

From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026

Companies that are too quick to lay off workers on the assumption that AI can do their jobs risk wrecking their future competitiveness in two ways.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

They’ll be digging into why money stress is wrecking your life — and how to fix it.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

Once upon a time in California, I went to the Orange County fairgrounds to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger give the signal for a wrecking ball to drop onto a vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

“Without making it a disaster. You’re already wrecking the place.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023