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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shipwreck
Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The Valbanera shipwreck made the front page of the Miami Herald and other newspapers, and Ernest Hemingway once wrote a short story about it.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The other half is dedicated to the Delgado family — patriarch Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), precocious Isabella (Audrina Miranda), teenager Teresa (Luna Blaise), and her boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono) — who end up shipwrecked after a dino encounter.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Noun
The military sites included were in Saipan and Italy, while the Lake Huron sites were commercial shipwrecks in relatively accessible freshwater locations.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The Valbanera shipwreck made the front page of the Miami Herald and other newspapers, and Ernest Hemingway once wrote a short story about it.
—Raul A. Reyes, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
Epic story of perseverance and hope follows a 16-year-old boy who is shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and survives on a lifeboat with four companions: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The other half is dedicated to the Delgado family — patriarch Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), precocious Isabella (Audrina Miranda), teenager Teresa (Luna Blaise), and her boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono) — who end up shipwrecked after a dino encounter.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck
Noun
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The coaches also decided King’s wrecking-ball approach was effective.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators.—
Olivia Evans,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The journalists who rushed to the scene managed to jot down the names of about a dozen—the VIPs (there were three members of parliament on the train that day, which was a factor in the disaster) and a couple of servants.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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As a train barrels toward her near the final moments of the video, Perry spots a daisy on the tracks — seemingly a nod to her daughter — and dodges disaster.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Guardiola’s lads look back to their best in the early months of this season after the extended wobble in the previous one that wrecked their hopes of a fifth straight domestic title.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Phillips croons about a mother’s bond with her child as Swinton walks off, her character freshly wrecked by a visit with her son in prison.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking was quick.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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Yet unlike the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, where many wealthy and influential passengers lost their lives, the Valbanera tragedy did not capture the public’s imagination and soon seemed to be forgotten.—
Raul A. Reyes,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The failures of that occupation were many, relating to security, governance, the economy, and provision of basic municipal services.—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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My father had two superpowers that saved him in the face of all those failures—his talent for telling stories and gardening.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
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