as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 wrack
This lack of training, the lack of confidence to ask the right questions and the unwillingness to see past a diagnosis, turned an already nerve-wracking situation into a horrifying ordeal for my family.
—
Maura Sullivan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Wil Lutz added a 36-yard field goal with just over one minute remaining but there was still time for a nerve-wracking end.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Proposing marriage is one of the most-exciting and nerve-wracking times for a couple, for both the proposer and their intended.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
The recent discovery of what was initially thought to be an explosive device on a body brought to Indianapolis for examination could indicate more trouble at a neighboring county's coroner office already wracked by recent upheaval.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrack
Maura Sullivan, Boston Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Wil Lutz added a 36-yard field goal with just over one minute remaining but there was still time for a nerve-wracking end.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Proposing marriage is one of the most-exciting and nerve-wracking times for a couple, for both the proposer and their intended.
—Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
The recent discovery of what was initially thought to be an explosive device on a body brought to Indianapolis for examination could indicate more trouble at a neighboring county's coroner office already wracked by recent upheaval.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wrack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrack
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
So, no, women didn’t ruin the workplace.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
Verb
-
Last year’s devastating drought in the Amazon Basin was made 30 times more likely by climate change, according to a report from World Weather Attribution, a network of scientists that analyze extreme weather events.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Earlier this year, California’s devastating Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena, a diverse, creative community just north of Pasadena.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Mamdani’s victory places him at the forefront of a global cohort of diaspora leaders who have shattered political ceilings in recent years.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
At Tesla’s annual meeting on Thursday, shareholders voted in favor of giving CEO Musk a gargantuan, record-shattering pay package that could give him stock worth $1 trillion after several years.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
During the closure, crews will demolish the Lister Avenue Bridge and the pedestrian bridge at Oakley Avenue over I-70.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Within a few years of leaving Texas, Rauschenberg had upended everything the place had meant to him, smashing through the parochialism of small-town Southern life, where necks were broken in Jesus’ name, and families indentured or murdered.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Mantis shrimps can safely smash open clam shells with their claws.—
Carl Zimmer,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrack. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share