Synonyms of shipwrecks

shipwrecks 1 of 2

noun

plural of shipwreck

as in disasters

something that has failed

finally admitted that their marriage was a shipwreck and that the time had come to bail out

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disasters
• failures
• catastrophes
• disappointments
• bombs
• busts
• losers
• washouts
• frosts
• lemons
• flops
• fiascoes
• misses
• debacles
• duds
• clinkers
• turkeys
• messes
• clunkers
• dogs
• bummers
• fizzles
• hashes
• shambles
• has-beens
• near misses
• botches
• nonevents
• also-rans
• muddles
• nonstarters

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• successes
• hits
• winners
• blockbusters
• phenomena
• smashes
• dandies
• corkers
• crackerjacks
• jim-dandies

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

• wrecks
• beaches
• scuttles
• strands
• founders

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovers
• salvages

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shipwrecks

Noun

For centuries, the only wood suitable for building houses on the island was the driftwood that washed up from shipwrecks and distant forests. — Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 15 July 2026

Diving With a Purpose, an underwater-archeology program committed to uncovering these slave shipwrecks, encouraged Baxter to start diving for history. — Amara Evering, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026

The recovery follows the removal of black and brown rats that had accidentally arrived on the island as stowaways on ships and shipwrecks. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026

The waters off Staniel Cay hold coral reefs and shipwrecks, and are home to a range of wildlife including sea turtles, stingrays and sharks. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 24 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

Scuba Diving Scuba diving to explore the Apostle Islands’ many sea caves and shipwrecks is a popular activity for certified practitioners. — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 14 June 2026

This island chain is a popular weekend and summer destination for travelers who want to paddle through sea caves, lounge on picturesque beaches, and search for century-old shipwrecks. — Katherine Lawless, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026

Organized by Healthy Seas, a foundation committed to removing marine litter and protecting life in oceans across the globe, the mission was part of a campaign centered on ghost-net removal and biodiversity monitoring on Mediterranean shipwrecks. — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 9 June 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