wreck
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From Middle English wrek, from Anglo-Norman wrek, from Old Norse *wrek (Norwegian and Icelandic rek, Swedish vrak, Danish vrag), from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną, whence also Old English wrecan (English wreak), Old High German rehhan, Old Saxon wrekan, Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (wrikan).
Pronunciation
Noun
wreck (plural wrecks)
- Something or someone that has been ruined.
- He was an emotional wreck after the death of his wife.
- Synonym: basket case, mess
- The remains of something that has been severely damaged or worn down.
- 1782, William Cowper, “Retirement”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 277:
- To the fair haven of my native home, / The vvreck of vvhat I was, fatigued I come, […]
- An event in which something is damaged through collision.
- 1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “[Amoretti.] Sonnet LVI”, in Amoretti and Epithalamion. […], London: […] [Peter Short] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, signature [D5], verso:
- Hard and obſtinate, / As is a rocke amidſt the raging floods: / gaynſt vvhich a ſhip of ſuccour deſolate, / doth ſuffer vvreck both of her ſelfe and goods.
- 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene v, page 1:
- the wrecks of matter and the crush of worlds
- 1883, John Richard Green, The Conquest of England:
- Its intellectual life was thus able to go on amidst the wreck of its political life.
- (law, not countable) Goods, etc. cast ashore by the sea after a shipwreck.
- 1985, “Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46)”, in Justice Canada, retrieved 9 September 2021:
- 2. ... Wreck includes the cargo, stores and tackle of a vessel and all parts of a vessel separated from the vessel, and the property of persons who belong to, are on board or have quitted a vessel that is wrecked, stranded or in distress at any place in Canada.
- (ornithology) A large number of birds that have been brought to the ground, injured or dead, by extremely adverse weather.
- 1988, Michael Cady, Rob Hume, editors, The Complete Book of British Birds, page 89:
- [I]n 1952 more than 7,000 were involved in such a "wreck" in Britain and Ireland.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
ruined object or person
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remains
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collision
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goods, etc. cast ashore by the sea after a shipwreck
Verb
wreck (third-person singular simple present wrecks, present participle wrecking, simple past and past participle wrecked)
- (transitive) To destroy violently; to cause severe damage to something, to a point where it no longer works, or is useless.
- He wrecked the car in a collision.
- That adulterous hussy wrecked my marriage!
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
- Supposing that they saw the king's ship wrecked.
- (transitive) To ruin or dilapidate.
- (transitive, obsolete) To plunder goods from wrecked ships.
- (transitive, Australia) To dismantle wrecked vehicles or other objects, to reclaim any useful parts.
- (transitive) To involve in a wreck; hence, to cause to suffer ruin; to balk of success, and bring disaster on.
- 1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: […] P[eter] Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:
- Weak and envy'd, if they should conspire, / They wreck themselves, and he hath his Desire.
- (intransitive) To be involved in a wreck; to be damaged or destroyed.
- 2020, Marti Talbott, McShane's Bride, page 112:
- […] Mrs. Marleen Ketchum was not quite certain if the train wrecked or if the volcano blew its top. It took a moment before she was certain it had to be the passenger train.
- (transitive, formal, Canada, US) To cease or dissolve a friendship or with someone.
- Sam was very sad because his friend, Geneva, just wrecked him
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:destroy
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to cause severe damage
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to ruin
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References
- Krapp, George Philip (1925) The English Language in America, volume II, New York: Century Co. for the Modern Language Association of America, →OCLC, page 92.
Further reading
- “wreck”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- “wreck”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “wreck”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “wreck”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
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