wreck

/rek/
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wreck

The salvage team surveyed the wreck of the old cargo ship.

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.
wreck

The salvage team surveyed the wreck of the old cargo ship.

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

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