as in disasters
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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Recent Examples of shipwrecks
ABC News, 14 May 2026
Participants report profound emotional and spiritual connections during underwater visits and ancient libation ceremonies, as part of broader efforts to document slave shipwrecks and preserve Black history.
—Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Researchers have found remains of the sailors, as well as artifacts from the shipwrecks.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The actual shipwrecks of the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror were not found until 2014 and 2016, respectively.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Anglers can cast for dozens of fish species that inhabit the lake, while divers have scores of historic shipwrecks to explore.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
Yet travelers who only know these waters from shoreline cities often miss their quieter side, where shipwrecks rest beneath clear depths, small ports wake to foghorns and science teams study a living ecosystem in real time.
—Malika Bowling, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The shipwrecks are from a range of eras and civilizations, including the ancient Punic (Carthaginian) civilization, and the Roman, medieval and modern periods, according to a recent research paper.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, part of the three-museum North Carolina Maritime Museum System, documents dozens of those shipwrecks.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Noun
The latest trip was spurred by an underwater interview project proposed by Stanford University anthropologist Ayana Omilade Flewellen, who serves on the board of Diving With a Purpose, a Black scuba diving nonprofit dedicated to documenting slave shipwrecks.
—ABC News, 14 May 2026
Participants report profound emotional and spiritual connections during underwater visits and ancient libation ceremonies, as part of broader efforts to document slave shipwrecks and preserve Black history.
—Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Researchers have found remains of the sailors, as well as artifacts from the shipwrecks.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The actual shipwrecks of the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror were not found until 2014 and 2016, respectively.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Anglers can cast for dozens of fish species that inhabit the lake, while divers have scores of historic shipwrecks to explore.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
Yet travelers who only know these waters from shoreline cities often miss their quieter side, where shipwrecks rest beneath clear depths, small ports wake to foghorns and science teams study a living ecosystem in real time.
—Malika Bowling, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The shipwrecks are from a range of eras and civilizations, including the ancient Punic (Carthaginian) civilization, and the Roman, medieval and modern periods, according to a recent research paper.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, part of the three-museum North Carolina Maritime Museum System, documents dozens of those shipwrecks.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 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
-
Those improvements include pipe insulation, walls, attics, weather stripping doors and windows and installing storm windows to prevent future disasters.—
Tanya Babbar,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
The seemingly limitless budgets and bottomless demand for content of the streaming television era have allowed studios to dramatize both long-ago and recent disasters.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The change launches biannual arguments about the practice, wrecks havoc on sleep and has inspired voters to go to California polls.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In a film like this, you’re ostensibly meant to root against the terror that the central characters wrecks on his victims.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The massive rocket has encountered a number of anomalies and failures since its debut in April 2023 ended in a premature explosion, including fiery mishaps both on the test stand and mid-flight that have attracted plenty of headlines.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
However, residents are still under a boil water order while crews continue testing and monitoring for additional failures.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
California is being hammered with more frequent and devastating catastrophes, and that’s making the entire insurance market riskier and more expensive, exacerbating mistakes made by government and the private sector alike.—
Ben Allen,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
What was in the hearts of the humans who diarized catastrophes on the Elbe’s river rocks seven centuries ago—and in 2018?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
So there’s been a lot of disappointments in the build up.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Their first season under Quenneville was a twisting, turning, end-over-end journey through disappointments, rallies, peaks and valleys.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shipwrecks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwrecks. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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