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

More lanes may be blocked to pull apart the wreckage. —Kris Habermehl, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025

An extensive international search effort failed to find wreckage or bodies. —Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 31 Dec. 2025

The search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was set to resume Tuesday, more than a decade after the plane went missing with 239 people on board in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. —Peter Guo, NBC news, 30 Dec. 2025

Asked if Russia had physical evidence of the drone attack, Peskov said on Tuesday the question of wreckage was for the defense ministry. —Guy Faulconbridge, USA Today, 30 Dec. 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