shipwreck 1 of 2

noun

ˈship-ˌrek How to pronounce shipwreck (audio)
Definition of shipwrecknext
1
as in wrecking
the destruction or loss of a ship the shipwreck of much of the Spanish Armada ended Spain's plans for invading England

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disaster
something that has failed finally admitted that their marriage was a shipwreck and that the time had come to bail out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shipwreck

2 of 2

verb

as in to wreck
to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking the yachtsman fell asleep at the wheel and shipwrecked his ketch on the rocks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shipwreck
Noun
Production also filmed at Sunnyside Beach, where video footage appeared to show shipwreck debris scattered along the shore, suggesting the location would be used for scenes of struggle. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026 Visit The Graveyard Of The Atlantic Museum Learn about the state’s most dramatic shipwreck stories at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 July 2026
Verb
In 1623, Francis Bacon penned The New Atlantis, which recounts the rescue of sailors shipwrecked off of the eastern coast of South America. — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 28 Apr. 2026 Over Your Dead Body follows a married couple whose relationship is beyond shipwrecked. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck
  1. wrecking
  2. disaster
  3. wreck
  4. sinking
  5. catastrophe
  6. failure
Noun
  • At least, there was a lot less wrecking.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.
    — The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Definition of wrecking
Noun
  • Established by Congress in 1990, TPS gives temporary protection to people who don’t feel safe returning to countries plagued by disaster or armed conflict such as El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • That was, frankly, ridiculous, and our coverage said as much, arguing that this deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most notorious genre disasters deserved a much wider release.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Verb
  • Elsewhere, La’An continues her investigation via Harper’s personal video log, an effort that takes a disturbing turn when Harper addresses her directly while Kirk sees that their shuttle has been wrecked.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 July 2026
  • Etna’s country prevails but is demolished in the process; its people and animals are left wrecked, hungry, and homeless.
    — Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of wreck
Noun
  • More than 3,000 families in the complex were affected by the quake, residents estimate, and most of the buildings were damaged, with some crushed, tilted, or sinking.
    — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 27 July 2026
  • News of the body recovery piqued wide interest in light of the sinking of the Volare, a 49-foot three-story vessel that capsized July 14 near Alcatraz.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
Definition of sinking
Noun
  • The story follows exiled prince Rama (Ranbir Kapoor) and his consort Sita (Sai Pallavi) through exile into catastrophe, as Sita’s abduction at the hands of Ravana (Yash) sets in motion an epic war between righteousness and evil.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • In fact, the war provided the exact lifeline that Putin needed to rescue him from economic catastrophe.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 30 July 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that there would be an emergency road closure at the inbound Lawrence Avenue exit on the Kennedy (Interstate 90), citing the early morning concrete retention wall failure as the reason.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • These failures stemmed not from new vulnerabilities, but from basic security flaws like weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints, and reliance on assumptions over robust controls.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure

Browse Nearby Words

ships (out)
shipwreck
shipwrecked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on shipwreck

Nglish: Translation of shipwreck for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shipwreck

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of colloquial

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All