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 of wreckage

• 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 toll has continued to soar as rescue crews sift through the wreckage. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 June 2026

Yet the praise for Alcock feels like watching a plane crash and seeing just one person get miraculously thrown clear of the wreckage without a scratch. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 26 June 2026

More than 36 hours after the quakes, civilians were still searching for loved ones in the wreckage, calling out their names and trying to conduct rescue operations without specialized equipment. — Whitney Eulich, Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2026

Many Venezuelans were combing through wreckage in search of loved ones, while others turned to social media in an effort to find relatives and friends who had vanished in the disaster. — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

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