shipwreck
/'ʃiprek/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- An accident that destroys a ship at sea: The event of a ship being destroyed or sunk, typically during a voyage.
- An irretrievable loss or complete failure: A metaphorical use describing the total ruin or collapse of something, such as a plan, relationship, or hope.
- A wrecked ship (or a part of one): The physical remains of a ship that has been destroyed or sunk.
Verb:
- To destroy or cause (a ship) to be destroyed: To be the cause of a ship's destruction.
- To cause to experience shipwreck: To subject someone to the disaster of a shipwreck.
- To suffer failure or ruin utterly: To meet with complete disaster or failure; to bring something to a state of total ruin.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The storm caused the shipwreck of the ancient vessel. (The storm caused the destruction of the ancient ship at sea.)
- The end of their partnership was the shipwreck of his business ambitions. (The end of their partnership was the complete failure of his business ambitions.)
- Divers explored the shipwreck on the ocean floor. (Divers explored the remains of the wrecked ship on the ocean floor.)
Verb:
- The captain feared the reef would shipwreck his ship. (The captain feared the reef would destroy his ship.)
- The novel tells the story of sailors who were shipwrecked on a desert island. (The novel tells the story of sailors who experienced a shipwreck and ended up on a desert island.)
- His reckless decisions ultimately shipwrecked the entire project. (His reckless decisions ultimately caused the complete failure of the entire project.)
Advanced Usage
"to make shipwreck of": To cause the complete ruin or failure of something.
- The scandal made shipwreck of his political career. (The scandal caused the utter ruin of his political career.)
"to suffer shipwreck": To experience a shipwreck or, metaphorically, a complete failure.
- The expedition suffered shipwreck both literally and figuratively. (The expedition experienced the destruction of its ship and the failure of its mission.)
Variants and Related Words
- Shipwrecked (adj): Describing a person or thing that has suffered a shipwreck.
- The shipwrecked sailors waited for rescue.
- Shipwrecking (n/gerund): The act or process of causing a shipwreck.
Synonyms
- Noun (accident): maritime disaster, sinking, wreck.
- Noun (ruin): downfall, collapse, destruction, debacle.
- Verb (destroy): wreck, sink, scuttle.
- Verb (ruin): destroy, wreck, sabotage, undo.
Related Phrases
- "to be shipwrecked on": To be stranded in a place as a result of a shipwreck.
- They were shipwrecked on a remote coast.
- "a shipwreck of hopes": A complete destruction of hopes or dreams.
- The economic crisis left behind a shipwreck of hopes for many families.
Idioms
- "To make shipwreck of one's life/fortunes": To completely ruin one's life or financial situation.
- His addiction made shipwreck of his life.
- "A shipwreck of a plan": A plan that has failed utterly.
- Their strategy was a shipwreck from the start.
Noun
- an accident that destroys a ship at sea
- an irretrievable loss
- that was the shipwreck of their romance
- a wrecked ship (or a part of one)
Verb
- destroy a ship
- The vessel was shipwrecked
- cause to experience shipwreck
- They were shipwrecked in one of the mysteries at sea
- suffer failure, as in some enterprise
- ruin utterly
- You have shipwrecked my career