train wreck
noun
variants
or less commonly trainwreck
plural train wrecks also trainwrecks
1
: a violent and destructive crash involving a train
2
: an utter disaster or mess : a disastrous calamity or source of trouble
Six months later, with Washington facing a political train wreck in Iraq, whom did it call? The United Nations.—
Fareed Zakaria
Fareed ZakariaThe train wreck that was Florence Ballard could not be hidden anymore. … Those shows went on without a hitch, but with Ballard progressively drinking harder, disaster awaited them as they trekked from Miami to play several college dates across the South.—Mark Ballard
Mark Ballard… to create what is termed on Capitol Hill a train wreck—a budget crisis so awful that the President would have to seriously negotiate, and yield on taxes.—Elizabeth Drew
Elizabeth DrewExamples of train wreck in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Biden’s yearlong refusal to visit the site of the Norfolk Southern train wreck was a reminder of general aloofness and weakness with working-class voters.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024
Its big centerpiece is a DJ James Kennedy set at TomTom, the aforementioned train wreck of a bar owned by Lisa Vanderpump that Sandoval and Schwartz have a teeny-tiny stake in.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2024
The nostalgia of seeing these classic Doctors back in action isn't enough to save this train wreck.
—Adam Lujan, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023
And what could be more empowering than to turn a potential train wreck into an ingenious bit of improv?
—Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024
On paper, Monday’s 75th Emmy Awards should have been a train wreck.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
As for now, OpenAI is faced with the huge task of making sure that Sora isn’t a misinformation train wreck.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Feb. 2024
Among the more serious of these risks is the slow-motion train wreck that is occurring in the commercial-real-estate sector.
—Desmond Lachman, National Review, 12 Jan. 2024
Calabria, meanwhile, produced a train wreck of a performance.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024
Its big centerpiece is a DJ James Kennedy set at TomTom, the aforementioned train wreck of a bar owned by Lisa Vanderpump that Sandoval and Schwartz have a teeny-tiny stake in.
—Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2024
The nostalgia of seeing these classic Doctors back in action isn't enough to save this train wreck.
—Adam Lujan, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2023
And what could be more empowering than to turn a potential train wreck into an ingenious bit of improv?
—Owen Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024
On paper, Monday’s 75th Emmy Awards should have been a train wreck.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024
As for now, OpenAI is faced with the huge task of making sure that Sora isn’t a misinformation train wreck.
—Steven Levy, WIRED, 15 Feb. 2024
Among the more serious of these risks is the slow-motion train wreck that is occurring in the commercial-real-estate sector.
—Desmond Lachman, National Review, 12 Jan. 2024
Calabria, meanwhile, produced a train wreck of a performance.
—Emmet Gates, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'train wreck.' 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 train wreck
Cite this Entry
“Train wreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/train%20wreck. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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