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

Peter Cappelli, the Wharton management professor who has spent four years documenting the organizational wreckage of the remote-work era, arrived at the same conclusion from a different direction. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 May 2026

Emergency officials warned the public to avoid any wreckage that might wash ashore and to instead call 911. —Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Ball said authorities searched the charred wreckage late into Thursday night and early Friday morning with drones, cadaver dogs and specialized urban rescue teams, and did not expect to find any more victims. —Jamie Stengle, Arkansas Online, 29 May 2026

Some had hoses trained on piles of smoking debris while others lifted and moved lumber and other burned wreckage as if searching for people underneath. —ABC News, 28 May 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