Synonyms of wreck

wreck 1 of 2

noun

ˈrek 

1

as in wreckage

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed

found the wreck of the ship lying on the floor of the ocean

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wreckage
• debris
• rubble
• ruins
• remains
• remnant
• ashes
• detritus
• residue
• flotsam
• junk
• dust
• garbage
• refuse
• litter
• leavings
• scrap
• jetsam
• trash
• rubbish
• waste
• chaff
• dross
• deadwood
• riffraff

2

as in wrecking

the destruction or loss of a ship

the wreck cost the insurance company millions of dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wrecking
• sinking
• shipwreck
• wreckage
• shipwrecking
• stranding
• beaching
• foundering
• grounding
• scuttling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovery
• salvage
• salvaging

3

as in collision

the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact

a dangerous stretch of roadway that has been the scene of numerous car wrecks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• collision
• crash
• accident
• smashup
• concussion
• crack-up
• smash
• destruction
• pileup
• ruin
• demolishment

wreck

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to shipwreck

to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking

many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shipwreck
• scuttle
• strand
• beach
• founder

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recover
• salvage

2

as in to ruin

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruin
• destroy
• demolish
• shatter
• devastate
• smash
• damage
• overcome
• waste
• desolate
• annihilate
• extinguish
• tear down
• total
• erode
• ravage
• cripple
• decimate
• mar
• vaporize
• wrack
• pull down
• pulverize
• cream
• defeat
• raze
• kill
• dismantle
• rub out
• blast
• break
• crush
• nuke
• injure
• best
• remove
• do in
• spoil
• subdue
• harm
• disintegrate
• deteriorate
• impair
• conquer
• havoc
• prevail (over)
• triumph (over)
• master
• rout
• disfigure
• win (against)
• lick
• trim
• dynamite
• surmount
• scotch
• mutilate
• thrash
• sweep (away)
• blow up
• dissolve
• whip
• wear (away)
• vitiate
• deface
• mangle
• obliterate
• eradicate
• wash out
• wipe out
• slaughter
• sack
• beat
• scour
• undo
• plunder
• gut
• loot
• disassemble
• fell
• take down
• blot out
• massacre
• clobber
• assassinate
• murder
• cut down
• unmake
• overbear
• expunge
• despoil
• extirpate
• exterminate
• trounce
• liquidate
• slay
• kill off
• overmatch
• pillage
• trash
• skunk
• dilapidate
• vandalize
• drub
• wallop
• trample
• snuff (out)
• efface
• butcher
• take out
• dispatch
• stamp (out)
• unbuild
• mow (down)
• root (out)
• execute
• zap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• build
• set up
• construct
• repair
• raise
• fix
• rear
• put up
• create
• erect
• patch
• mend
• make
• found
• produce
• shape
• form
• manufacture
• protect
• invent
• assemble
• save
• establish
• organize
• revamp
• preserve
• mold
• forge
• constitute
• bring about
• frame
• institute
• recondition
• fashion
• rebuild
• fabricate
• doctor
• restore
• reconstruct
• conserve
• father
• renovate
• remodel

Examples of wreck in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Driving the news: 169 people died in wrecks on Houston's streets and highways from January through June this year, according to the Texas Department of Transportation's Crash Records Information System. —Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 4 Sep. 2024

Still, wrecks were common in the lake’s southeastern region approaching Whitefish Point. —Story Hinckley, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2024

Verb

In July of the same year, Bowman wrecked a vehicle shortly after being released from jail on a $100,000 bond. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 14 Aug. 2024

To see how those stages play out, and why even three wrong CEOs might not be enough to wreck a company, examine Apple’s situation in 1997. —Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2024

Phrases Containing wreck

• nervous wreck