shipwreck

1 of 2

noun

ship·​wreck ˈship-ˌrek 

1

: a wrecked ship or its parts

2

: the destruction or loss of a ship

3

: an irretrievable loss or failure

Their relationship was a shipwreck.

… unwittingly assured the shipwreck of his career.

—Bruce Hutchison

shipwreck

2 of 2

verb

shipwrecked; shipwrecking; shipwrecks

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to experience shipwreck

b

: ruin

2

: to destroy (a ship) by grounding or foundering

Synonyms of shipwreck

Noun

• wrecking
• wreck
• sinking
• shipwrecking

Verb

• wreck

Examples of shipwreck in a Sentence

Noun

Only a few sailors survived the shipwreck.

The crew narrowly avoided shipwreck.

Divers searched the sunken shipwreck.

Verb

the yachtsman fell asleep at the wheel and shipwrecked his ketch on the rocks

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Divers explore the Mentor shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Kythira. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026

Human rights groups are increasingly struggling to verify tolls as Italy, Tunisia and Malta have quietly restricted information on migrant rescues and shipwrecks along the deadliest migration route in the world. —ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026

Verb

This reimagining of the classic tale of the white European male shipwrecked on a desert island is brave, funny, wild and spellbinding. —The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026

Your host, Miranda, offers a back story to the project that involves her family of scientists being shipwrecked on an island off South America upon which many of the dinosaurs somehow survived to the present day. —Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of earlier shipwrack, from Middle English schipwrak, from Old English scipwræc, from scip ship + wræc something driven by the sea — more at wrack

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

shipwreck

1 of 2 noun

ship·​wreck -ˌrek 

1

: a wrecked ship

2

: the destruction or loss of a ship

shipwreck

2 of 2 verb

1

: to cause to experience shipwreck

a storm that shipwrecked the sailors

2

: to destroy (a ship) by driving ashore or sinking