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

Reaching the wreckage proved difficult as emergency workers, backed by paramilitary forces, climbed down a steep mountainside to the ravine up to 25 meters (80 feet) deep. — ABC News, 3 July 2026

According to the operator, the pilot used a small clipboard to record load notes and fuel calculations, but that clipboard was not found in the wreckage, investigators said. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026

Still, the landowner had continued to find pieces of wreckage for years. — Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

Days into the emergency, in the Caracas parish of San Bernardino, a border collie with one blue eye and one brown marked a precise point in the wreckage of the Residencias Rita. — Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 1 July 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