wreckage

noun

wreck·​age ˈre-kij 

1

: the act of wrecking : the state of being wrecked

2

a

: something that has been wrecked

b

: broken and disordered parts or material from something wrecked

Synonyms of wreckage

• devastation
• destruction
• havoc
• demolition
• loss
• extinction

Examples of wreckage in a Sentence

Workers sifted through the wreckage of the building, searching for bodies.

They cleared the wreckage from the track.

Recent Examples on the Web

The airline placed everyone seeking information in a conference room that overlooked the Potomac River, where the wreckage of Flight 5342 bobbed in the water. —Brit McCandless Farmer, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026

Some investors see opportunities where there is wreckage. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026

Authorities said bystanders began CPR before first responders arrived, and rescue crews spent more than an hour freeing one person trapped in the wreckage. —Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2026

The runway where two pilots died in a collision between a jet and a fire truck reopened Thursday morning at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which had been operating at limited capacity all week as investigators examined the wreckage and work crews cleaned up debris. —Philip Marcelo, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wreckage

noun

wreck·​age ˈrek-ij 

1

a

: the act of wrecking

b

: the state of being wrecked

2

: the remains of a wreck