as in wreck
the destruction or loss of a ship
the wrecking of the freighter was one of the worst disasters ever on the Great Lakes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in scuttling
to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking
many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters
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Recent Examples of wrecking
Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
After Fred VanVleet tore his ACL less than two weeks before the start of training camp, Houston started preparing for the possibility that Amen Thompson — a 6-foot-7 defensive wrecking ball — could slide into the starting point guard role.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Leaving a dog at home alone can be nerve-wrecking for many owners, but pet-cam footage shows why Larry the greyhound's owner has nothing to worry about.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The wrecking begins when Carey (Marvin), Paul’s best friend, ill-advisedly sleeps with Julie—and then, more ill-advisedly still, confesses it to Paul the next day.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
With Micah Parsons now gone, big shoes are available for any defender willing to bring a big game-wrecking attitude every time Matt Eberflus’ group steps between the lines.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
In April, after the court ruling, Omni again sought a wrecking permit but could not proceed with demolition until securing overlay approval.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
The brand nails high-quality essentials that look luxe without wrecking your travel budget.
—Claire Gallam, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2025
The Athletic came up with a four-teams-in-four-divisions plan that would require Colorado and Tampa Bay to switch leagues but otherwise would leave the NL and AL intact and increase regionalization within the divisions without wrecking historic rivalries.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Considered a net-wrecking nuisance by colonial fishermen in the late 1800s and early 1900s, lake sturgeon were destroyed in large numbers.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
After Fred VanVleet tore his ACL less than two weeks before the start of training camp, Houston started preparing for the possibility that Amen Thompson — a 6-foot-7 defensive wrecking ball — could slide into the starting point guard role.
—William Guillory, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Leaving a dog at home alone can be nerve-wrecking for many owners, but pet-cam footage shows why Larry the greyhound's owner has nothing to worry about.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
The wrecking begins when Carey (Marvin), Paul’s best friend, ill-advisedly sleeps with Julie—and then, more ill-advisedly still, confesses it to Paul the next day.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
Adam Berry/Getty Images What To Know Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
With Micah Parsons now gone, big shoes are available for any defender willing to bring a big game-wrecking attitude every time Matt Eberflus’ group steps between the lines.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
In April, after the court ruling, Omni again sought a wrecking permit but could not proceed with demolition until securing overlay approval.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
The brand nails high-quality essentials that look luxe without wrecking your travel budget.
—Claire Gallam, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2025
The Athletic came up with a four-teams-in-four-divisions plan that would require Colorado and Tampa Bay to switch leagues but otherwise would leave the NL and AL intact and increase regionalization within the divisions without wrecking historic rivalries.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Considered a net-wrecking nuisance by colonial fishermen in the late 1800s and early 1900s, lake sturgeon were destroyed in large numbers.
—Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrecking
Noun
-
In bodycam footage provided by Ory, the gold truck's driver said the woman driving the car behind him caused the wreck after pulling into the other lane to avoid colliding with the back of the truck.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Police said neither alcohol nor drugs appear to be factors in the wreck.—
Fox19 staff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Israel broke a ceasefire earlier this year, accusing Hamas of scuttling it.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
30 Sep. 2025
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Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since then, the Internet has gone about its immemorial business of destroying all incumbent forms of media; not content with vampirizing print, the digital space began sucking the life from pay-TV a dozen years ago.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Critics say returning the company without meaningful payment undercuts accountability and the compensatory purpose of the judgments; others note trustees and Judge Lopez have to avoid value-destroying, prolonged processes.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Because the attack came at the end of the war, and the U-boat had not received orders of any surrender, the sinking of the Eagle was reported as an engineering and boiler failure rather than an escalatory attack from a foreign adversary.—
Leanna Renee Hieber,
Big Think,
2 Oct. 2025
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For the fortieth anniversary of the sinking in 2015, bassist Rick Haynes and Lightfoot flew from a concert in Utica, New York, on their only day off from their tour, to the Upper Peninsula, then drove to Whitefish Point for an event — and not to play, just to be there with the families.—
John U. Bacon,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
O’Hoppe and Christian Moore struck out in the first, stranding two runners.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Boston ultimately only got three at bats with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 3 while stranding six men, and the Diamondbacks slowly pulled away with an RBI single by McCarthy in the fourth and a sacrifice fly by Blaze Alexander in the seventh.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Doing so could compromise the slight taper at the hem, ruining the silhouette.—
Shea Simmons,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tens of thousands have been fleeing the city, which has seen Israel demolishing high-rise buildings.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Preservationists stepped in to keep the company from its standard practice of demolishing a vacant building.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Juni was shot in the head twice, with one bullet skimming her eye, and the other shattering her jaw.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Bonded by a mysterious, complicated past, the men share a fraught, if occasionally tender relationship that had been forever altered by shattering events decades earlier.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wrecking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrecking. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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