wracking

present participle of wrack
as in destroying
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 wracking Gordon Ramsay, the guest Evans calls the most nerve-wracking booking of his career, has become a friend. Clayton Davis, Variety, 18 June 2026 Bring Her Back unravels its disturbing secrets with nerve-wracking dread, relying more on ominous atmosphere than cheap jump scares. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026 But the job insecurity that’s wracking the wider workplace can effectively kill that sense of discovery. Claire Zillman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026 Rory McIlroy’s second consecutive Masters victory was a nerve-wracking affair — and now there’s data to prove it. Ryan Brennan april 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026 Then came the nerve-wracking part — bringing it to Jackson himself. Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026 The end of this semester at Morehouse College could be a nerve-wracking time for Aaron Fields. Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 21 Mar. 2026 The RedHawks ultimately held on for a nerve-wracking 110-108 overtime victory to improve to 31-0 and become the 21st team to finish the regular season undefeated. Brendan Marks, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 In Southern California, Hollywood Burbank and Van Nuys Airports are well known to pilots for their high volume of mixed airplane and helicopter traffic, creating a complex and nerve-wracking operating environment. Marc Scribner, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wracking
Verb
  • That second blaze burned charred 23,500 acres in that community, Malibu and elsewhere, killing 12 people and destroying or damaging more than 7,500 homes and businesses.
    Sierra Van Der Brug, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2026
  • These kinds of old negatives are often stored inside cans and are so fragile they can’t be unrolled without destroying them, Seales says.
    Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • The Cowboys are like most NFL teams that roll out a synthetic surface that has a grass feel, and is vastly superior to the old knee-ruining ways of AstroTurf.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026
  • The Dodgers are ruining baseball!
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • The brand was already the most searched name on Ulta’s site before the line expanded to the retailer’s 1,500-plus doors in February, shattering sales records and becoming the chain’s largest brand launch ever.
    Danielle Directo-Meston, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2026
  • Ratings from the opening match went through the roof, shattering records.
    Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.
    Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026
  • What is in tandem here is the exuberantly generative possibility of life itself (SCOBY, water) alongside the very synthetic polymers that are literally wrecking life on an individual and systemic level.
    Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • Loss of this support, which is said to cover 25% of the center’s operating costs, would have been devastating both financially and reputationally.
    Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026
  • These giant invasive snakes are devastating the Everglades ecosystem by eating through the native food web without any natural predators to keep them in check.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • But everyday people expressed their political outrage time and again, throwing rocks at and demolishing the houses of government officials, torching the king’s ships and forts and, eventually, marching to battle.
    Robert Parkinson, The Conversation, 24 June 2026
  • During that 25-day closure, PennDOT crews will be demolishing the existing Commercial Street Bridge and sliding in the new bridge, which has been constructed alongside the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
    Mike Darnay, CBS News, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital's business district.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026
  • Also in 2007, Spencer was sentenced concurrently to seven years in prison for choking a woman, slamming her head to the ground, and robbing her of her cellphone, and for smashing into a woman's car and ransacking it, prosecutors said.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • The strategies aim to do away with piecemeal approaches to overcoming the unique challenges that islands and coastal communities face, offering a comprehensive approach, said Raffaele Fitto, European Commission executive vice president for cohesion and reforms.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
  • How did overcoming addiction play a role in this album?
    Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Wracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracking. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.

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