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 Rack and 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 experts will advise that you 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 advise that "racked with pain" is the only correct choice, and it is indeed the older phrasing. Rack has its likely origin in Middle Dutch rec meaning "framework" (think of the "an instrument of torture on which a body is stretched" meaning). Meanwhile, wrack ultimately comes from the same Germanic source as wreck, and like that word, it historically referred to a shipwreck. Still: "wracked with pain" has a long history of use and is widely accepted.

Do you rack up or wrack up debts?

The words rack and wrack are distinct here: rack up typically means "to achieve, score; to accumulate," and is the word to use when talking about racking up debt, or racking up points.

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

In other words, the area below the mean high water line, or generally below where the prominent debris/wrack line is on the beach, is considered public trust property, according to state environmental analysis Marybeth Hart. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2026

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

Verb

The chaos has compounded existing difficulties for poorer or developing economies, many of which were already wracked by public-debt crises that deepened in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. —Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 18 June 2026

Gordon Ramsay, the guest Evans calls the most nerve-wracking booking of his career, has become a friend. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 June 2026

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