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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shipwreck
Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio First, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in a movie about a famous shipwreck with James Cameron’s 1997 epic Titanic.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 May 2026
The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Your host, Miranda, offers a back story to the project that involves her family of scientists being shipwrecked on an island off South America upon which many of the dinosaurs somehow survived to the present day.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Noun
Fairies and gods and shipwrecks all conspire to put our players in the most exigent but also the most amusing circumstances.
—Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio First, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in a movie about a famous shipwreck with James Cameron’s 1997 epic Titanic.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 May 2026
Verb
This reimagining of the classic tale of the white European male shipwrecked on a desert island is brave, funny, wild and spellbinding.
—The Know, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Your host, Miranda, offers a back story to the project that involves her family of scientists being shipwrecked on an island off South America upon which many of the dinosaurs somehow survived to the present day.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck
Noun
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At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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When a catastrophic breach at Piney Point threatened Manatee County homes with a toxic flood and fueled an environmental disaster five years ago, state leaders promised to clean up the mess with up to $200 million.—
Ryan Ballogg,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
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Not allowing insurance companies to shift profits to out-of-state subsidiaries would save me more money than this disaster.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
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The six jurors in George Pino’s vessel-homicide and manslaughter trial took a road trip to North Miami on Thursday morning to view his boat, which was wrecked in the crash that killed a teenage girl and severely injured two others.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
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Common errors like picking the wrong rug size, furniture layout, color palette, window treatments, and more can wreck your home decor.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
10 June 2026
Noun
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So, when planning began for the Lincoln Memorial in the early 1910s, builders faced a real sinking problem.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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Lower flows mean less sediment flushing downstream, accelerating the sinking of the Louisiana delta.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Noun
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The company was formed in the aftermath of 9/11 to sell terrorism and catastrophe property insurance.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
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Then there were climate catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina, the normalization of active shooter drills at their schools and a worldwide pandemic.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Semiconductor maker Texas Instruments has introduced a new battery monitoring chip designed to give electric vehicles and energy storage systems earlier warning of battery failures while reducing the number of components required inside battery packs.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
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Nothing majorly dramatic happens, no one flames out in the kitchen, no dish is an absolute failure.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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