wrecking

[ rek-ing ]

/ ˈrɛk ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wrecking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act, work, or business of a wrecker.

adjective

employed or for use in wrecking: a wrecking crew.

Nearby words

wrecked, wrecker, wrecker's ball, wreckfish, wreckful, wrecking, wrecking bar, wrecking car, wrecking crane, wrekin, wren

Origin of wrecking

First recorded in 1795–1805; wreck + -ing¹

Definition for wrecking (2 of 2)

wreck

[ rek ]

/ rɛk /

noun

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)

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.

verb (used without object)

to be involved in a wreck; become wrecked: The trains wrecked at the crossing.

to act as a wrecker; engage in wrecking.

Origin of wreck

1200–50; (noun) Middle English wrec, wrech, wrek < Old Danish wrækæ wreck; (v.) late Middle English, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR wreck

9 destroy, devastate, shatter. See spoil.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wreck ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·wrecked, adjective

Can be confusedrack wrack wreak wreckracked wracked wreaked wrecked

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wrecking

In a country where stability is still fragile and requires careful tending, Ebola is a wrecking ball.
Liberia’s Ebola Famine|Abby Haglage, Nina Strochlic|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And what did Cyrus tell her hair-tossing protégée, besides “Return the wrecking ball NOW, lady”?
Ariana Grande, This Is How to Be a Diva|Tim Teeman|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You come in like a wrecking ball Never hit so hard in love All I wanted was some breakfast, Daaad.
One Man 'Breaking Bad' Kills on Stage|Nico Hines|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His first shows were in Asbury Park, at a small run down Convention Hall that appeared destined for the wrecking ball.
Springsteen, Seeger, and the Joy of Political Music|Howard Wolfson|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Tongues were wagging when Miley Cyrus released the R-rated video for her song “Wrecking Ball.”
Rob Ford, Kid President, What the Fox Say?, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So China has at last been driven to make a desperate stand against the encroachments of the curse which is wrecking her.
Drugging a Nation|Samuel Merwin
Thieves took advantage of the wrecking of lighting plants to plunder deserted houses and even to rob survivors of the flood.
The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado|Logan Marshall
The wrecking of a brandy-store or plundering palaces and shops.
The Green Book|Mr Jkai
He dragged a wooden case from beneath his cot and smashed at the lid with a wrecking bar.
Two Thousand Miles Below|Charles Willard Diffin
There was nothing to do now for the engineer and fireman of No. 999 but to await the arrival of the wrecking crew.
Ralph on the Overland Express|Allen Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for wrecking

wreck

/ (rɛk) /

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

Word Origin for wreck

C13: from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic rek. See wrack ², wreak

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for wrecking (1 of 2)

wreck

early 13c., "goods cast ashore after a shipwreck, flotsam," from Anglo-French wrec, from Old Norse *wrek (cf. Norwegian, Icelandic rek) "wreck, flotsam," related to reka "to drive, push" (see wreak). The meaning "a shipwreck" is first recorded mid-15c.; that of "a wrecked ship" is from c.1500. General sense of "remains of anything that has been ruined" is recorded from 1713; applied by 1795 to dissipated persons.

Word Origin and History for wrecking (1 of 2)

wreck

"to destroy, ruin," c.1500, from wreck (n.). Related: Wrecked; wrecking. Earlier (12c.) it meant "drive out or away, remove;" also "take vengeance."

wrecking

noun

adjective

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Origin of wrecking

Definition for wrecking (2 of 2)

wreck

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of wreck

Examples from the Web for wrecking

British Dictionary definitions for wrecking

wreck

verb

noun

Word Origin for wreck

Word Origin and History for wrecking (1 of 2)

wreck

Word Origin and History for wrecking (1 of 2)

wreck

wrecking

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adjective

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Definition for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} wrecking (2 of 2)

wreck

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of wreck

Examples from the Web for wrecking

British Dictionary definitions for wrecking

wreck

verb

noun

Word Origin for wreck

Word Origin and History for wrecking (1 of 2)

wreck

Word Origin and History for wrecking (1 of 2)

wreck

noun

Definition for wrecking (2 of 2)