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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Recent Examples of wracking
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
These sequences of process and investigation are captured with all the verve and nerve-wracking tension of a slick spy thriller, aided by a detailed, thundering soundscape sure to leave you on edge.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 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
The woman who recorded the nerve-wracking trip said, at times, both of the driver's hands were off the wheel.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
One thing that's helping her ahead of the nerve-wracking weekend is her training and practice in meditation and breathwork.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Snow, ice, tight merges, and heavy traffic can turn even short journeys into slow, nerve-wracking drives.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
From stomach-churning eating challenges to nerve-wracking physical feats, the competition pushes contestants to their limits in pursuit of the coveted title.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 16 Jan. 2026
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
These sequences of process and investigation are captured with all the verve and nerve-wracking tension of a slick spy thriller, aided by a detailed, thundering soundscape sure to leave you on edge.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 23 Feb. 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
The woman who recorded the nerve-wracking trip said, at times, both of the driver's hands were off the wheel.
—Todd Feurer, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
One thing that's helping her ahead of the nerve-wracking weekend is her training and practice in meditation and breathwork.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Snow, ice, tight merges, and heavy traffic can turn even short journeys into slow, nerve-wracking drives.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026
From stomach-churning eating challenges to nerve-wracking physical feats, the competition pushes contestants to their limits in pursuit of the coveted title.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wracking
Verb
-
The Pentagon has generally lumped it into the first objective of destroying Iran’s missile capability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But there may be an answer, or at least a compromise that will satisfy those unhappy with the idea of destroying a usable building.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
-
To figure out its mechanism, Julius’s team had to somehow extract it from cells without ruining the very properties the researchers were trying to understand.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Martha had a confidence-shattering experience with her previous boyfriend.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Atlanta Police Department During the incident, a stray bullet struck an Atlanta Public Schools bus, shattering one of its windows.—
CBS News Atlanta Staff,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This might drive like a dirt race, giving Reddick, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell a chance to shine as their cars are on the verge of wrecking.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The episode about Secret Squirrel and the perils of surveillance culture feels more relevant than ever, as does the climate-change episode in which the time-traveling Jetson family sues people of the present for wrecking their future.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Our team found that a hospital cyberattack cut the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest without devastating brain damage by nearly 90% at nearby hospitals, not just the one that was attacked.—
Christian Dameff,
The Conversation,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Israel has stepped up assassinations of top Iranian officials in recent days, in what the Israel Defense Forces said was a push to undermine command and control in Iran after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes that have wiped out military infrastructure but not dislodged the regime.—
Victoria Craw,
Washington Post,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But the grumblings about demolishing the library building have lately become a roaring debate.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Israel’s defense minister said the military would accelerate demolishing homes along the southern Lebanese border and destroy all bridges over the Litani River.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of the men is seen on surveillance video smashing the front door with a metal object and connecting the ATM to the vehicle using a metal cable.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Particle accelerators like the LHC typically work by firing beams of particles at nearly the speed of light and smashing them together.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Applicants must write an essay that reflects a background of overcoming adversity, such as growing up in a low-income setting or losing a parent.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Waring and Woodland are both in the midst of overcoming big obstacles of a different nature.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracking. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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