wreck
noun
\ Ërek
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Definition of wreck
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: something cast up on the land by the sea especially after a shipwreck
2a
: shipwreck
b
: the action of wrecking or fact or state of being wrecked : destruction
c
: a violent and destructive crash
was injured in a car wreck
3a
: a hulk or the ruins of a wrecked ship
b
: the broken remains of something wrecked or otherwise ruined
c
: something disabled or in a state of ruin or dilapidation
the house was a wreck
also
: a person or animal of broken constitution, health, or spirits
he's a nervous wreck
wreck
verb
wrecked;
wrecking;
wrecks
Definition of wreck (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to cast ashore
2a
: to reduce to a ruinous state by or as if by violence
a country wrecked by war ambition wrecked his marriage
b
: shipwreck
c
: to ruin, damage, or imperil by a wreck
wrecked the car
3
: bring about, wreak
wreck havoc
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Synonyms for wreck
Synonyms: Noun
ashes, debris, detritus, flotsam, remains, residue, rubble, ruins, wreckage
Synonyms: Verb
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Examples of wreck in a Sentence
Noun
This car has never been in a wreck. The stress of her final exams made her a wreck. Dad was a nervous wreck on the day I had my surgery.Verb
I wrecked my mother's car. Many houses were wrecked by the hurricane. The affair wrecked his marriage. Bad weather wrecked our vacation.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The train-wreck moment of the 2009 VMAs struck twin chords of fantasy and fear. — Klara Auerbach, Washington Post, "How two superstars, four words, and 15 seconds of TV influenced a decade of pop culture," 14 Aug. 2019 But last year only 14,258 fans per game showed up to watch a team that finished 18 games above .500, a measure of apathy eclipsed only by the train-wreck Marlins to the east and the Rays' worst box-office showing in 13 years. — Matt Bonesteel, courant.com, "Raysâ city-sharing plan has problems, but teamâs owner calls it an âamazing ideaâ," 26 June 2019 But last year only 14,258 fans per game showed up to watch a team that finished 18 games above .500, a measure of apathy eclipsed only by the train-wreck Marlins to the east and the Raysâ worst box-office showing in 13 years. — Matt Bonesteel, The Denver Post, "Raysâ city-sharing plan has problems, but teamâs owner calls it an âamazing ideaâ," 26 June 2019 But the Sox also recognize that Hernandez has been vulnerable to train-wreck innings, and those usually come a bit deeper than the first inning. — Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, "Darwinzon Hernandez loaded with promise but canât find his spot," 21 June 2019 Besides continuing with the Ducksâ younger players, Eakins will be responsible with moving the team forward from a train-wreck season in which the teamâs older group was exposed and called out by Murray for a lack of care. — Curtis Zupke, latimes.com, "Ducks expected to hire Dallas Eakins as their next coach," 16 June 2019 The train-wreck 2007-08 season did feature the arrival of first-round pick Noah, whose inconsistent and arrogant rookie season included a virtually unprecedented vote by teammates to extend a suspension interim coach Jim Boylan had levied. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "20 years since dissolution of the dynasty, Bulls still a long way from the top," 10 June 2018 The former series champ's first race as part of a timeshare with Trevor Bayne in the No. 6 for Roush Fenway Racing was spent lamenting a lack of speed, and ended when Byron triggered his hard wreck with 15 laps to go. — Fox News, "NASCAR's Harvick wins at Kansas Speedway in record-setting start," 13 May 2018 There are several ways to measure the improvement of the LSU basketball program from last season's 10-21 train wreck. — Ron Higgins, NOLA.com, "In LSU coach Will Wade's world, it's never totally excellent," 11 Feb. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Golden State Warriors guards Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry together have wrecked the NBA for the past five seasons. — Cameron Fields, Warriors Wire, "Will Klay Thompson's legacy forever be tied to Steph Curry's?," 18 Aug. 2019 The game at Center Grove will be really tough, but even a loss there does not wreck the end goal. — Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "High school football top-10 countdown: Wrecking ball New Palestine goes for repeat," 13 Aug. 2019 Many dreams and careers have been wrecked by destructive relationships. — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, "Faith & You: A few things you probably wonât hear in most graduation speeches â Terry Pluto," 7 June 2019 Jackson was also accused of wrecking a government vehicle while intoxicated. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "From California House races to women winning big, 9 things to know about Tuesday's primaries," 7 June 2018 When the deputy pulled behind the Trailblazer, Johnson sped away, only to lose control and wreck the vehicle after a short chase. — Carol Robinson, AL.com, "'Violent career criminal' sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison for 2016 carjacking," 21 Mar. 2018 By the early 20th century, the disease had spread to 14 southern states, wrecking havoc on the regionâs cattle industry. — John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, "Deadly fever ticks are infesting border cattle herds," 2 Aug. 2019 The storm wrecked the tourism industry, a critical source of income for the island, and unemployment is at 7.7 percent (nearly double the rate on the US mainland). — Alexia FernĂĄndez Campbell, Vox, "Puerto Rico is in political chaos. Hereâs whatâs at stake.," 24 July 2019 How has someone who doesnât even speak to her also wrecked that faraway possibility? — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "The Sweetbitter Premiere Finally Gave Us Tessâ Juicy, Tragic Backstory," 15 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wreck.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for wreck
wreck
noun
English Language Learners Definition of wreck
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a vehicle, airplane, etc., that has been badly damaged or destroyed
: a ruined or destroyed ship
US
: an accident in which a car, airplane, train, etc., is badly damaged or destroyed