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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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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The video then shows the man asking if the situation was ruining Kaleel's Christmas.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet for all of Malinin’s athleticism and his Beamonesque ability to take flight what has been most telling in what has already been a world record-shattering Olympic season has been the maturity of his skating, the willingness to take emotional risks in his programs.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
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Bana and Rocha were among the 615 participants in the 27th annual Waukegan Polar Bear Plunge on Thursday at the Waukegan Municipal Beach, shattering the record of 540 set in 2024, and collectively raising more than $20,000 for Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The one that is responsible, once and for all, for fixing a defense that’s been complicit in wrecking three straight seasons of Burrow, Chase and Higgins.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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And can interest be reduced without wrecking your financial future?—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Scenario two is that Harbaugh is leveraging the Giants’ rabid interest but ultimately could take a different job, devastating this desperate fan base.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Rubella, also called German measles, is mild in children but devastating to fetuses, causing deafness, heart defects and intellectual disabilities when pregnant women are infected.—
Jake Scott,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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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As Hodges stood there, scared and vulnerable, the man grabbed his baton and bashed him on the head with it, rupturing his lip and smashing his skull.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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The man accused of smashing windows on Vice President JD Vance's home with a hammer is facing separate prosecutions in state and federal court.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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DiMarco’s participation became a highlight of the event, with the student asking thoughtful questions about overcoming imposter syndrome and handling rejection.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
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And that religion, like music, can carry the sound of struggle – but also the hope of one day overcoming the injustices and inequalities of everyday life.—
Ken Chitwood,
The Conversation,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracking. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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