train wreck
noun
variants
or less commonly trainwreck
plural train wrecks also trainwrecks
1
: a violent and destructive crash involving a train
2
: an utter disaster or mess : a disastrous calamity or source of trouble
Six months later, with Washington facing a political train wreck in Iraq, whom did it call? The United Nations.—
Fareed Zakaria
Fareed ZakariaThe train wreck that was Florence Ballard could not be hidden anymore. … Those shows went on without a hitch, but with Ballard progressively drinking harder, disaster awaited them as they trekked from Miami to play several college dates across the South.—Mark Ballard
Mark Ballard… to create what is termed on Capitol Hill a train wreck—a budget crisis so awful that the President would have to seriously negotiate, and yield on taxes.—Elizabeth Drew
Elizabeth DrewExamples of train wreck in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trading a whodunit for a slow-motion train wreck about an endearing criminal whose very, very bad decisions inspire the ire of a vicious biker gang and the titular task force, Task stars Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones and Silvia Dionicio.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
This could be a train wreck for rubbernecking fans of college football and TMZ-style gossip.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
That wasn’t grit—it as a slow-motion train wreck.
—Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Javen and Katisha As messy as Sophie-Kieran-Megan might seem, that’s nothing compared with the emotional train wreck that is Katisha’s journey.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for train wreck
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Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
This could be a train wreck for rubbernecking fans of college football and TMZ-style gossip.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
That wasn’t grit—it as a slow-motion train wreck.
—Jason Walker Psyd, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Javen and Katisha As messy as Sophie-Kieran-Megan might seem, that’s nothing compared with the emotional train wreck that is Katisha’s journey.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for train wreck
Cite this Entry
“Train wreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/train%20wreck. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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