wrack

verb

Definition of wracknext
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrack Members of Mastodon said they were wracked with grief when their cofounder and former guitarist was killed in a motorcycle crash last summer. — Asia Simone Burns, AJC.com, 10 Sep. 2026 The dam to my grief burst into loud, gut-wrenching sobs, wracking my body and crushing my soul. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 The biggest American star in men’s tennis met the biggest star in the sport — a matchup wracked with tension that delivered through five sets — on a school night. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Still, even on video, Davis doesn’t appear wracked with guilt or anguish about the possibility of spending the rest of his life in the Nevada penitentiary system. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrack
  1. ruin
  2. destroy
  3. wreck
  4. devastate
  5. shatter
  6. demolish
Verb
  • On Monday, workers hauled out a 200-pound piece of equipment that was ruined by the saltwater and sand carried in on the high tides.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • So our goal is to learn how to maximize AI budgets, not ration them and ruin productivity gains.
    — Konstantin Klyagin, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • Although much of the population in Java converted to Islam and Borobudur was abandoned, it was not destroyed.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Careers are destroyed, lawsuits follow, and administrators calculate their exposure.
    — Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • If checking your score reliably wrecks your morning, the device isn’t working for you.
    — J. David Creswell, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick crossed the line while wrecking after Larson hit the wall trying to chase down Briscoe on the final turn.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of wreck
Verb
  • Pi-o wins the competition, but is devastated at the disappearance of his friend.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The goal, Ukrainian officials and military experts say, is to devastate Ukraine’s economy — and the country’s ability to sustain the war effort — while breaking the population’s will to fight by making everyday life increasingly difficult.
    — Constant Méheut, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastate
Verb
  • Still, the channel has always proven to be resilient — a veritable phoenix that keeps rising stronger and ever more creative after world-shattering events such as 9/11, the SARS outbreak and the 2008 world financial crisis.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Downtown Los Angeles broke a daily heat record Monday with the mercury reaching 104 degrees, shattering the previous record of 101 set in 1954 and tied in 1971.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • And then the way the government dealt with them, which was to just demolish them, is also kind of prescient.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir attended the demolition and said Israeli authorities had demolished more than 10,000 structures built without permits over the past year and a half.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolish

Browse Nearby Words

wowsers
wrack
wracked
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Cite this Entry

“Wrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrack. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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