wreck

American  

[rek] / rɛk /

noun

1. any building, structure, or thing reduced to a state of ruin.

2. wreckage, goods, etc., remaining above water after a shipwreck, especially when cast ashore.

3. the ruin or destruction of a vessel in the course of navigation; shipwreck.

4. a vessel in a state of ruin from disaster at sea, on rocks, etc.

5. the ruin or destruction of anything.

   the wreck of one's hopes.

6. a person of ruined health; someone in bad shape physically or mentally.

   The strain of his work left him a wreck.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause the wreck of (a vessel); shipwreck.

2. to involve in a wreck.

3. to cause the ruin or destruction of.

   to wreck a car.

   Synonyms:

   shatter, devastate, destroy

4. to tear down; demolish.

   to wreck a building.

5. to ruin or impair severely.

   Fast living wrecked their health.

verb (used without object)

1. to be involved in a wreck; become wrecked.

   The trains wrecked at the crossing.

2. to act as a wrecker; engage in wrecking.

wreck British  

/ rɛk /

verb

1. to involve in or suffer disaster or destruction

2. (tr) to cause the wreck of (a ship)

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noun

1. 1. the accidental destruction of a ship at sea

   2. the ship so destroyed

2. maritime law goods cast ashore from a wrecked vessel

3. a person or thing that has suffered ruin or dilapidation

4. the remains of something that has been destroyed

5. 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.

Related Words

See spoil.

Other Word Forms

• unwrecked adjective

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

Example Sentences

Lively's legal team have accused Baldoni and his film studio Wayfarer of leading a "multi-tiered plan" to wreck her reputation, which included social media manipulation and using friendly journalists to further certain narratives.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The wreck was discovered on the ocean floor in 1985 by a team led by Dr Robert Ballard.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The circumstances of what caused the crash were not immediately available, but two adults and two infants were left trapped in the wreck, NBC4 reported.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

However, Malta's transport authority last week said the wreck was still afloat, drifting without a crew between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

My mother is pretty laid back, but compared to my father, she’s a nervous wreck.

From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• batter
• decimate
• demolish
• destroy
• devastate
• impair
• injure
• mangle
• mar
• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• sabotage
• shatter
• sink
• smash
• spoil
• torpedo
• trash
• undermine