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
Over nerve-wracking cellphone calls, video chats and in-person conversations, the various players desperately try to figure out who fired and how, and some even question if there’s a missile at all.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
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
Reuters — American golfer Vince Whaley had a particularly nerve-wracking encounter with a big-toothed onlooker at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday, as he was forced to play a shot under the watchful gaze of a lurking alligator.
—Reuters, 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
After that harrowing hike up the boulder field, the nerve-wracking exposure of our search site has pushed even this steadfast high-drive purebred over threshold.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
With Lionsgate‘s nerve-wracking new horror movie, the multi-faceted actress is now on her second Stephen King adaptation — opening in theaters September 12.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Here, tackling a masterpiece felt like a more complex, more nerve-wracking experience.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
Air conditioning was probably a good idea for the three contestants who were formally dressed and answered nerve-wracking pageant questions.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
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
Reuters — American golfer Vince Whaley had a particularly nerve-wracking encounter with a big-toothed onlooker at the Sanderson Farms Championship on Sunday, as he was forced to play a shot under the watchful gaze of a lurking alligator.
—Reuters, 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
After that harrowing hike up the boulder field, the nerve-wracking exposure of our search site has pushed even this steadfast high-drive purebred over threshold.
—Ted Katauskas, Outside, 23 Sep. 2025
With Lionsgate‘s nerve-wracking new horror movie, the multi-faceted actress is now on her second Stephen King adaptation — opening in theaters September 12.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Here, tackling a masterpiece felt like a more complex, more nerve-wracking experience.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
Air conditioning was probably a good idea for the three contestants who were formally dressed and answered nerve-wracking pageant questions.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wracking
Verb
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And candidates who stoked fear in voters — with the threat of towering multi-family complexes destroying their communities or costly local infrastructure projects driving up taxes — lost by clear margins.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
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Derek Lopez, 27, was fired from his role at the university after he was caught on camera destroying a Turning Point display.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Chiefs have seen some of league’s premier running backs — such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs — and have met each challenge, preventing those elite players from ruining the defensive game plan.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
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Clark reiterated his belief that the Dodgers are not ruining baseball.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The user shared another clip in the thread that followed, showing the G1 breaking into a room like a burglar, shattering a glass door.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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But to have somebody that's a main character like that actually get killed was something that was shattering to everybody.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the country’s already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
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That history came to an end after wrecking crews tore down the wing’s two stories of offices and reception rooms last week.—
Darlene Superville,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The fires claimed 102 lives, displaced over 13,000 others and burned more than 3,000 homes, destroying centuries of cultural history and devastating the economy of an entire region, with losses estimated at nearly $13 billion.—
Josh Green,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the victims of Hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuba this morning after devastating Jamaica.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Most recently, crews began demolishing the East Wing of the White House.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The ceremony involved smashing a bottle of champagne into the hull of the submarine, which Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev did.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
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The situation is likely to seem even more bizarre to some people, after a video was released Tuesday, showing Perry picking up a birthday cake presented to her by her Lifetimes Tour backup dancers and smashing it on the ground.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Key challenges to commercialization include creating a material that is both safe and highly conductive and overcoming the high costs of mass production.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Castellani and Muritiba spoke about how the United States can learn from Brazil and their country’s history of overcoming fascism.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracking. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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