wrack

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈrak 

1

a

: a wrecked ship

b

: wreckage

c

: wreck

d

dialect : the violent destruction of a structure, machine, or vehicle

2

a

: marine vegetation

especially : kelp

b

: dried seaweeds

wrack

2 of 6

noun (2)

1

: ruin, destruction

2

: a remnant of something destroyed

wrack

3 of 6

verb (1)

wracked; wracking; wracks

transitive verb

: to utterly ruin : wreck

wrack

4 of 6

verb (2)

wracked; wracking; wracks

: rack entry 2

Usage of Rackand Wrack

Rack and wrack in "(w)rack one's brain" and "nerve-(w)racking" have been used interchangeably since the late 19th century, and both spellings are commonly encountered in edited prose. Those who prescribe a distinction recommend the original and etymologically backed uses, which means using rack in the phrases "rack one's brain" and "nerve-racking" and saving wrack for boat- and storm-related imagery, such as "storm-wracked" and "wrack and ruin".

wrack

5 of 6

noun (3)

: rack entry 1 sense 2

wrack

6 of 6

noun (4)

: rack entry 7

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you rack or wrack your brain?

Wrack and rack are etymologically distinct, meaning they come from different words. Many usage guides will advise that you should use wrack for meanings such as "to utterly ruin," and rack for "to cause to suffer torture, pain, anguish, or ruin." If you follow this advice, the proper choice for what you do to your brain when thinking very hard is rack. However, wrack has long been used as a variant of rack, and numerous fine writers have avowedly wracked their brains or found something nerve-wracking.

Is it racked or wracked with pain?

Some guides feel that "racked with pain" is the preferable choice, although wrack is in many cases an acceptable variant. The verbs are often conflated despite their very different origins (the former from Middle Dutch rekken, meaning "to stretch," and the latter from the Middle English word for shipwreck, wrak).

"Do you rack up or wrack up debts?"

While there are a number of settings in which wrack is considered an acceptable variant of rack, the accumulation of debts is not one of them. In this context rack up typically means "to achieve, score; to accumulate."

Synonyms of wrack

Verb (1)

• ruin
• destroy
• wreck
• devastate
• shatter
• demolish
• smash

Examples of wrack in a Sentence

Verb (1)

it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Recently at a beach in Midcoast Maine, a friend and I came across a male Snowy Plover—a rare visitor to the East Coast—foraging for tiny invertebrates in the wrack. —Kate Wong, Scientific American, 4 Aug. 2025

The residue from earlier high tide lines — wrack lines, as they are called — sits just outside some of the fencing around the nest, even pushing through it in spots, jeopardizing the habitat these birds need to breed. —Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025

Verb

Most of humanity has fled into virtual reality to escape a world wracked by epidemics and climate change. —Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025

While many restaurant chains have suffered in recent years as diners wracked by inflation eat out less, analysts were unsure if the chain's value perception contributed to Chipotle's issues. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English wrak, borrowed from Middle Dutch wrac, wracke & Middle Low German wrak, going back to Germanic *wrak-a- "something driven," noun derivative from the base of Germanic *wrekan- "to drive out, pursue" — more at wreak

Noun (2)

Middle English wrake, wrak, going back to Old English wracu (genitive wræce) & wræc "vengeance, persecution, misery," noun derivatives from the base of Germanic *wrekan- "to drive out, pursue" — more at wreak

Verb (1)

earlier, "to undergo shipwreck, cast ashore by shipwreck," derivative of wrack entry 1

Verb (2)

by alteration

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1562, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1591, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1794, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing wrack

• bladder wrack
• sea wrack

Rhymes for wrack

• ack
• brack
• clack
• crack
• dak
• flack
• flak
• hack
• jack
• knack
• lac
• lack

Kids Definition

wrack

noun

ˈrak

: violent or total destruction : ruin