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
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Some horses survived shipwrecks off the east coast and swam to shore, while others were abandoned in the wake of natural disasters.
—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
17 June 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
Ten migrants survived the shipwreck, which occurred on June 12 in the Mediterranean Sea, off the eastern part of the North African nation, according to the Abreen group, which tracks movements of migrants in eastern Libya.
—
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Some horses survived shipwrecks off the east coast and swam to shore, while others were abandoned in the wake of natural disasters.
—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
17 June 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.
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The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.
Noun
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Given the scale of the disaster, specialized teams from the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and other countries began mobilizing toward Venezuela in coordination with local authorities and the United Nations.
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It was declared a disaster zone and militarized on Thursday.
Verb
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My polishing pads are always getting wrecked, used, or stolen by my dog (or all of those things).
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As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.
Noun
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Finding the wreck Official records detailing Hōfuku Maru’s sinking were incomplete and inconsistent, Beckensall said.
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Actual sinking exercises provide valuable data on structural damage, flooding, shock effects, and sinking behaviour.
Noun
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Days before the five-year anniversary of the 2021 building collapse that killed 98 people in Surfside, the federal government has published findings that determined the structure of the Champlain Towers South condominium started failing about three weeks before the catastrophe.
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Chile introduced a tax deduction for catastrophe insurance premiums and resilience retrofit investment.
Noun
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Taking the midway point of those numbers, an opening weekend of $45 million would be a monumental failure.
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Then came this spring’s historic and devastating floods across northern Michigan — in some areas, for the first time anyone can remember — swamping homes, pushing dams to the brink of failure and washing out roadways.
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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