wracked

past tense of wrack
as in destroyed
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

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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 wracked Sanon had wracked up a $46,689 bill at Maxime Boutique hotel in Port-au-Prince for the former soldiers initially assigned to protect him in Haiti. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years. — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 The right-hander joined an Astros rotation wracked by injuries in mid-April and proceeded to be the most reliable starter for a team going to the playoffs. — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2026 Complicating efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus is the fact that this part of the DRC has been wracked by violence for decades, leaving huge numbers of people displaced and struggling to feed their families. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026 Members of Mastodon said they were wracked with grief when their cofounder and former guitarist was killed in a motorcycle crash last summer. — Asia Simone Burns, AJC.com, 10 Sep. 2026 The biggest American star in men’s tennis met the biggest star in the sport — a matchup wracked with tension that delivered through five sets — on a school night. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Still, even on video, Davis doesn’t appear wracked with guilt or anguish about the possibility of spending the rest of his life in the Nevada penitentiary system. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026 And Alan Ruck is pitch perfect as Bueller’s best friend Cameron, a more typical Hughes character who’s wracked with anxiety and self-doubt, but still goes along for the ride. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wracked
Verb
  • Both the rocket and the camera were destroyed after crashing into the Earth at a speed of about 340 miles per hour.
    — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • My brother’s wife has ruined each and every get-together by having constant fights with her little boy about eating.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown had 19, Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers ruined the Knicks' championship party.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • On Wednesday night, northern and central parts of the state saw hail the size of golf balls that pummeled people’s roofs, shattered windows and dented cars, along with damaging wind gusts.
    — Wufei Yu, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hail pummeled people's roofs, shattered windows and dented cars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Iran’s military has been devastated by American attacks, but the Iranian forces have continued to launch missiles, drones and naval operations to inflict damage in the region.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At home, the United States had defeated their armies, destroyed their infrastructure, retaken their territory, emancipated their enslaved, and devastated their economy and society into a catastrophic mess.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The 21-year-old from Dallas, who soared to gold in the all-around on Friday after recovering from injuries that wrecked her Olympic hopes in 2021 and again in 2024, hardly looked tired in what has quickly become the meet of her life.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Just as Bryan’s own ascent began, alcoholism almost wrecked his fellow Oklahoma heroes, Turnpike Troubadours.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Clare is now living with Wilcox; her home was demolished in the crash.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Santa Maria Addolorata Church in West Town is being demolished to make way for six new homes.
    — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Protesters have hurled rocks at police, burned government buildings, smashed shop windows and destroyed private property.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Carl Court / Getty In cities across the country, demonstrators set fire to newsstands and smashed windows.
    — Max Butterworth, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Kaprizov and Hartman scored in the third period as Minnesota overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Craig overcame being sacked four times and the run game producing just 33 yards to lead TCU to the massive victory, as the Horned Frogs scored multiple touchdowns against a Power Four conference opponent for the first time this season.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wracked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracked. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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