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

Last year, Purdue announced its own expedition to research the Taraia Object, a visual anomaly also on Nikumaroro that some think could be the plane’s wreckage. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026

The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze. —Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026

Some customers of the neighboring Dunkin’ Donuts pulled out their phones and recorded the wreckage. —Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026

The strike caused an intense fire at the hospital, with footage from local television showing rescue crews combing through the wreckage with flashlights late into the night as firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze. —Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 18 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