wreck

1 of 2

noun

ˈrek 

1

: something cast up on the land by the sea especially after a shipwreck

2

a

: shipwreck

b

: the action of wrecking or fact or state of being wrecked : destruction

c

: a violent and destructive crash

was injured in a car wreck

3

a

: a hulk or the ruins of a wrecked ship

b

: the broken remains of something wrecked or otherwise ruined

c

: something disabled or in a state of ruin or dilapidation

the house was a wreck

also : a person or animal of broken constitution, health, or spirits

he's a nervous wreck

wreck

2 of 2

verb

wrecked; wrecking; wrecks

transitive verb

1

: to cast ashore

2

a

: to reduce to a ruinous state by or as if by violence

a country wrecked by war

ambition wrecked his marriage

b

: shipwreck

c

: to ruin, damage, or imperil by a wreck

wrecked the car

3

: bring about, wreak

wreck havoc

intransitive verb

1

: to become wrecked

2

: to rob, salvage, or repair wreckage or a wreck

Synonyms

Noun

• wreckage
• debris
• rubble
• ruins
• remains

Verb

• scuttle
• shipwreck

Examples of wreck in a Sentence

Noun

This car has never been in a wreck.

The stress of her final exams made her a wreck.

Dad was a nervous wreck on the day I had my surgery.

Verb

I wrecked my mother's car.

Many houses were wrecked by the hurricane.

The affair wrecked his marriage.

Bad weather wrecked our vacation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Dehydration, heat stroke, bike wrecks, a bad trip; these are just a few of the hazards a burner may face in Black Rock City. —Denver Nicks, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2025

The fatal collision sent debris from the semi-trailer’s haul across the highway and triggered at least two other collisions, including a wreck on southbound I-5 near 43rd Street as drivers stopped to pick up debris from the roadway, according to the CHP. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 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

Messy data wrecks forecasts, distorts reporting and wastes time. —Thasha Batts, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wrec, wrek, borrowed from Anglo-French wrek & Medieval Latin wreccum, borrowed from Old Norse *wrek, rek, going back to *wrek-a- "something driven," derivative of Germanic *wrekan- "to drive out" — more at wreak

Verb

Middle English wrekkyd (past participle), probably derivative of wrek wreck entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing wreck

• nervous wreck
• train wreck

Rhymes for wreck

• beck
• breck
• check
• cheque
• czech
• deck
• fleck
• keck
• mech
• neck
• peck
• reck

Kids Definition

wreck

1 of 2 noun

ˈrek 

1

: goods cast upon the land by the sea after a shipwreck

2

: shipwreck entry 1 sense 2

3

: the action of wrecking

4

: a destructive crash

was injured in a car wreck

5

: the broken remains of something wrecked or ruined

6

: something in a state of ruin or decay

the old house was a wreck

7

: a person in poor health or spirits

wreck

2 of 2 verb

1

a

: to reduce to a state of ruin by or as if by violence

a country wrecked by war

jealousy wrecked their friendship

b

: shipwreck entry 2 sense 2

2

: to damage or ruin by a wreck

wrecked the car