wreck
wreck Lexical Profile
wreck Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A vehicle, ship, aircraft, or building that has been severely damaged or destroyed, or the sunken remains of a destroyed ship.
"Divers explored the sunken wreck on the ocean floor to document its historical cargo."
A violent collision, crash, or accidental destruction, especially involving motor vehicles or trains.
"Traffic was backed up for miles following a multi-car wreck on the interstate."
A person whose physical or emotional health has been severely exhausted, damaged, or ruined.
"After working three consecutive night shifts without rest, he was a nervous wreck."
• verb
To destroy or severely damage a structure, vehicle, or object.
"The sudden hailstorm wrecked several greenhouses across the agricultural valley."
To spoil, ruin, or completely frustrate a plan, opportunity, or relationship.
"A persistent knee injury wrecked her chances of competing in the national championship."
To cause a ship or vessel to sink, run aground, or break apart on rocks or a shore.
"Fierce gale-force winds wrecked the merchant schooner against the jagged coastal reef."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'wreck' (to destroy or severely damage) with its homophone 'reck' (an archaic verb meaning to care about or heed, surviving mainly in the adjective 'reckless'), or with 'wreak' (meaning to inflict or cause, properly used in 'wreak havoc').
• Rhymes for wreck
Word Origin & Etymology
Entered Middle English via Anglo-Norman 'wrec' from Old Norse 'rek' (something drifted ashore, flotsam), derived from the Proto-Germanic verb '*wrekaną' (to drive, push, or expel), which is also the root of the English word 'wreak'.