wreckage

noun

wreck·​age ˈre-kij 

1

: the act of wrecking : the state of being wrecked

2

a

: something that has been wrecked

b

: broken and disordered parts or material from something wrecked

Synonyms

• devastation
• destruction
• havoc
• demolition
• loss
• extinction

Examples of wreckage in a Sentence

Workers sifted through the wreckage of the building, searching for bodies.

They cleared the wreckage from the track.

Recent Examples on the Web

The main portion of the wreckage consisted of the remains of the plane, including both wings, the tail, both engines and left propeller. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025

More than two years of civil war in Sudan have displaced 12 million people, killed at least 150,000 (and likely far more than that), put 25 million people in danger of starvation, and left wide swaths of physical wreckage. —Lynsey Addario, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025

While Good Samaritans were able to rescue five of the nine passengers from the wreckage, Angie was still inside, struggling to free herself. —Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 5 Sep. 2025

Federal officials were scheduled to start removing the wreckage Friday afternoon and moving it to a secure facility for further investigation, the NTSB said in a statement. —Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wreckage

noun

wreck·​age ˈrek-ij 

1

a

: the act of wrecking

b

: the state of being wrecked

2

: the remains of a wreck