shipwrecks 1 of 2

plural of shipwreck

shipwrecks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shipwreck
as in wrecks
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 shipwrecks
Noun
For Cline, Day Drinker will test whether her huge online following and all those fans who’ve spent the past six years watching her survive shipwrecks and shootouts on Netflix are ready to follow her onto dry land and into movie theaters. Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 Divers and snorkelers can weave through forests of giant kelp towers, encountering famously playful sea lions, neon fish, and historic shipwrecks. Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026 Hundreds of shipwrecks are believed to have happened in the notorious strait since the 19th century. Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Record-low water levels along the Danube River have exposed dozens of German military shipwrecks near the Serbian town of Prahovo, where an estimated 200 vessels were deliberately scuttled by retreating Nazi forces in 1944. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026 After all, their legacy consorting with carnies and flimflammers is less marketable than a tale of mother and daughter reuniting after surviving back-to-back shipwrecks. Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026 In fact, during storms and shipwrecks, shipping containers regularly go overboard. Alexander Klose, Scientific American, 24 July 2026 During the many scenes of roiling seas and inevitable shipwrecks, the shaking met the action appropriately. Matt Minton, Variety, 22 July 2026 But the story about the war hero Odysseus, whose journey home with his men is beset by sea storms, shipwrecks, gods, monsters and shady ladies, set the template for literature, comic books, science fiction and Hollywood epics for centuries to come. Jim Beckerman, USA Today, 16 July 2026
Verb
In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys gradually become feral and sadistic when trapped on an island together, and in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero magically shipwrecks his brother and his allies so that they will all be exiled together under his watch. Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwrecks
Noun
  • Wildfires, earthquakes, severe storms and other disasters can leave little time to gather supplies or figure out where to go, so planning ahead can make all the difference.
    Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Flores experienced one of the country’s deadliest disasters in 1992, when an earthquake and ensuing tsunami killed about 2,500 people.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 July 2026
  • As is the case with the Delta Aquarids, the moon, only one day past full, unfortunately, wrecks any chances of getting any decent views this year.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 18 July 2026
Noun
  • The failures of Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns’ major offseason shakeup are felt most acutely at first base and second base.
    Will Sammon, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Equipment failures, especially of pavers, can pose setbacks during resurfacing.
    Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The contrast is a reminder of the differences between the neighboring nations — their political systems, resources and the strength of their institutions — and a demonstration of how those can take on life-or-death importance in catastrophes.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, envisions building space habitats that could house billions as a solution to environmental catastrophes on Earth.
    Marissa E. Yingling, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • In retrospect, Richardson-Whitfield believes some of those disappointments were necessary to put her on the path toward directing.
    Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • And yet, more often than not, modern-day biopic films are disappointments, inert movies that fall into the same narrative traps, leaving audiences cold.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shipwrecks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwrecks. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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