ship·wreck
ˈship-ˌrek 
1
: a wrecked ship or its parts
2
: the destruction or loss of a ship
3
: an irretrievable loss or failure
shipwrecked; shipwrecking; shipwrecks
1
a
: to cause to experience shipwreck
b
: ruin
2
: to destroy (a ship) by grounding or foundering
Synonyms
Examples of shipwreck in a Sentence
Noun
Only a few sailors survived the shipwreck.
The crew narrowly avoided shipwreck.
Divers searched the sunken shipwreck.
Verb
the yachtsman fell asleep at the wheel and shipwrecked his ketch on the rocks
Recent Examples on the Web
Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
After enduring storms, sickness and a shipwreck, the surviving crew members of HMS Wager turn against each other.
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The story of the shipwreck of an 18th century British warship and a mutiny among the survivors.
—The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
But a new study digs into details of rat bones unearthed at settlement sites and collected from shipwrecks across eastern North America.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
The discovery marks the 19th shipwreck discovered off the shores of West Michigan by the group, according to the Facebook post.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
When conditions are right, synthetic aperture sonar is capable of ultra high-resolution imagery similar to this unidentified shipwreck off Nantucket, Massachusetts.
—USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
There were no fatalities in this shipwreck, but both captains had their licenses temporarily revoked.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
Other samples were from seven shipwrecks dating from about 1550 to 1770.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Based on the 1908 novel of the same name, Blue Lagoon followed the lives of Richard (Atkins) and Emmeline (Shields), two cousins who are shipwrecked on an island as children and later become lovers.
—EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023
An American investor called to the siren song of Italy who didn’t end up shipwrecked in the stormy waters of its bureaucracy.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
There is a goal after being shipwrecked in a wasteland.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Descended from Spanish mustangs that were shipwrecked off the island hundreds of years ago, they have been managed by the National Park Service (NPS) since 1959.
—Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2024
He has been lost mountain climbing in the Solomon Islands, shipwrecked in the Amazon and been guided through deep Papua New Guinea jungle by locals wearing human-skull necklaces.
—Joe Trezza, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
When a ship sinks just off the coast, Eva and her crew, snowed in and starving, have to choose to either rescue the shipwrecked or leave them to die.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
As mysterious tragedies begin to befall the village, there is talk the shipwrecked have become draugur.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
Noun
Kids can explore old mining caves and marvel at a shipwreck washed ashore.
—Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2024
After enduring storms, sickness and a shipwreck, the surviving crew members of HMS Wager turn against each other.
—Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
The story of the shipwreck of an 18th century British warship and a mutiny among the survivors.
—The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
But a new study digs into details of rat bones unearthed at settlement sites and collected from shipwrecks across eastern North America.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
The discovery marks the 19th shipwreck discovered off the shores of West Michigan by the group, according to the Facebook post.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
When conditions are right, synthetic aperture sonar is capable of ultra high-resolution imagery similar to this unidentified shipwreck off Nantucket, Massachusetts.
—USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
There were no fatalities in this shipwreck, but both captains had their licenses temporarily revoked.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
Other samples were from seven shipwrecks dating from about 1550 to 1770.
—CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
After an ambitious solo trip leaves her shipwrecked on a remote island, a young sailor is rescued by its lone inhabitant: a lighthouse keeper.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Based on the 1908 novel of the same name, Blue Lagoon followed the lives of Richard (Atkins) and Emmeline (Shields), two cousins who are shipwrecked on an island as children and later become lovers.
—EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023
An American investor called to the siren song of Italy who didn’t end up shipwrecked in the stormy waters of its bureaucracy.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
There is a goal after being shipwrecked in a wasteland.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024
Descended from Spanish mustangs that were shipwrecked off the island hundreds of years ago, they have been managed by the National Park Service (NPS) since 1959.
—Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2024
He has been lost mountain climbing in the Solomon Islands, shipwrecked in the Amazon and been guided through deep Papua New Guinea jungle by locals wearing human-skull necklaces.
—Joe Trezza, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
When a ship sinks just off the coast, Eva and her crew, snowed in and starving, have to choose to either rescue the shipwrecked or leave them to die.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
As mysterious tragedies begin to befall the village, there is talk the shipwrecked have become draugur.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shipwreck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shipwreck
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shipwreck. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shipwreck
1 of 2 noun
ship·wreck
-ˌrek
1
: a wrecked ship
2
: the destruction or loss of a ship
shipwreck
2 of 2 verb1
: to cause to experience shipwreck
a storm that shipwrecked the sailors
2
: to destroy (a ship) by driving ashore or sinking
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