train wreck

noun

variants or less commonly trainwreck

ˈtrān-ˌrek 

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

The 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

… 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

Examples of train wreck in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a caregiver, never go to the hospital or doctor’s office in sweats, looking like a train wreck. —Kat McGowan, NPR, 18 Oct. 2025

But that season was a train wreck about to happen, and (Dubnyk) saved a lot of bacon that year — probably saved some jobs. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025

What a train wreck, what a train wreck. —Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Is there going to be train wreck? —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for train wreck

• aztec
• breakneck
• codec
• exec
• mixtec
• paycheck
• pinchbeck
• recheck
• redneck
• toltec
• beck
• breck

Kids Definition

train wreck

noun

1

: a violent and destructive crash involving a train

2

: an utter disaster or mess