Definition

1. Noun:

   • A ship that has been destroyed or sunk at sea: The remains of a ship that has been severely damaged or has sunk.
   • A serious accident, especially involving vehicles: A crash or collision that causes severe damage.
   • Something that has been severely damaged or ruined: A structure, object, or person that is in a state of ruin, collapse, or severe disrepair.
   • A person who is in a state of physical or emotional collapse: Someone who is exhausted, ill, or has suffered a severe decline in health or spirit.

2. Verb:

   • To destroy or severely damage something: To cause something to be ruined or broken into pieces.
   • To cause a ship to sink or be destroyed: To be the cause of a ship's destruction at sea.
   • To cause the failure or ruin of something abstract: To spoil or ruin plans, hopes, or opportunities.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Divers explored the ancient wreck on the ocean floor. (The remains of a sunken ship.)
  • Emergency services rushed to the scene of the train wreck. (A serious train accident.)
  • After the fire, the building was a complete wreck. (A severely damaged structure.)
  • After working for 72 hours straight, he was a nervous wreck. (A person in a state of collapse.)

• Verb:

  • The storm wrecked several coastal homes. (Destroyed or severely damaged.)
  • The captain feared the reef would wreck his ship. (Cause a ship to be destroyed.)
  • The scandal wrecked his chances of winning the election. (Ruined an abstract possibility.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a wreck": to be in a state of extreme disrepair or emotional/physical distress.
  • I haven't slept; I'm an absolute wreck.
• "to wreck havoc": (Note: The more standard phrase is "to wreak havoc," but "wreck havoc" is a common variant) to cause widespread damage or chaos.
  • The new virus could wreck havoc on the economy.

Variants and Related Words

• Wreckage (n): The scattered remains of something that has been wrecked.
  • The wreckage of the plane was found in the mountains.
• Wrecker (n): A person or vehicle that demolishes something or recovers wrecked vehicles.
  • The wrecker towed the damaged car away.

Synonyms

• Noun: Ruin, debris, destruction, shipwreck, crash.
• Verb: Ruin, destroy, demolish, smash, shatter.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Wreck out: (Informal, less common) to fail or break down completely.
  • My old laptop finally wrecked out.
• Wreck up: (Informal) to damage or destroy something, often through careless action.
  • He managed to wreck up his new car within a week.

Related Idioms

• Train wreck: A disastrous situation or a person whose life is a mess; something that is compelling in its disastrousness.
  • Their marriage became a public train wreck.
  • I know it's bad, but I can't look away from this political scandal—it's a train wreck.
• Shipwreck: Often used metaphorically for a complete failure or ruin.
  • The project ended in a financial shipwreck.

Noun

1. a ship that has been destroyed at sea
2. a serious accident (usually involving one or more vehicles)
   • they are still investigating the crash of the TWA plane
3. an accident that destroys a ship at sea
4. something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
   • the house was a wreck when they bought it
   • thanks to that quack I am a human wreck

Verb

1. smash or break forcefully
   • The kid busted up the car