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

• 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

What To Know Warsaw said that Russian drones violated Polish airspace 19 times on the night of September 9 and 10, with data showing the wreckage of Russian drones across the country. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

Footage of the aftermath of the collision posted on social media shows a large fire and pillars of dark smoke emanating from the wreckage. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2025

Brother Dusk detonates explosives that shatter the cryonic chamber of Cleon clones, bodies raining down in blood and glass, before plucking a single embryo from the wreckage to bait Demerzel’s deepest programming. —Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

The wreckage of at least one drone, still unidentified, was recovered in Czosnowka, in eastern Poland. —George Petras, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025

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