wrecks 1 of 2

plural of wreck
as in collisions
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact a dangerous stretch of roadway that has been the scene of numerous car wrecks

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wrecks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of wreck
1
as in shipwrecks
to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island

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2
as in ruins
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters

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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 wrecks
Noun
Many of these wrecks have been undiscovered for decades, with commercial access only being granted recently. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 Waltrip obviously got into hundreds of wrecks over his nearly 30-year racing career. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 In the subsequent highway traffic backup there were two additional wrecks, including at least eight vehicles. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026 Car wrecks and other mishaps lead to people disappearing, only to be later found submerged underwater. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026 Huron Aviation, Alpena, Michigan (Lake Huron) Get a unique perspective on the wrecks in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary by seeing them from the air. — Stacy Conde, Midwest Living, 10 Aug. 2026 Car wrecks in which people are injured are frequent and many are not criminal matters, defense attorney Gill said in his closing argument in the guilt-innocence trial phase. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026 The dramatic reappearance of the rusting wrecks has become one of the most striking visual reminders of both Europe’s wartime history and the severe drought currently gripping much of the continent. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026 At least 20 World War II wrecks of various sizes are now visible to the naked eye from the banks of Prahovo. — CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them. — New Atlas, 24 July 2026 As is the case with the Delta Aquarids, the moon, only one day past full, unfortunately, wrecks any chances of getting any decent views this year. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 18 July 2026 Those findings may sound like proof the job wrecks your hormones. — Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 Kyle Busch wrecks Ron Hornaday under caution! — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 21 May 2026 The change launches biannual arguments about the practice, wrecks havoc on sleep and has inspired voters to go to California polls. — Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 7 Mar. 2026 In a film like this, you’re ostensibly meant to root against the terror that the central characters wrecks on his victims. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Jan. 2026 This process wrecks kidney and heart tissue, causing the heart to enlarge and blood vessels to become stiffer, impeding circulation and setting the stage for clots. — Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025 The larger dragon has two car launchers and a fire-breathing effect that wrecks passing cars. — Clint Davis, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrecks
Noun
  • Nearly 300 people are killed every year in traffic crashes in the city, with speed serving as the leading factor in the collisions.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Now researchers analyzing data from those collisions have seen an unexpected signal that offers new clues about how the cosmic transition happened eons ago.
    — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, young boys gradually become feral and sadistic when trapped on an island together, and in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Prospero magically shipwrecks his brother and his allies so that they will all be exiled together under his watch.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Verb
  • George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water.
    — Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Nothing ruins an outfit faster than an ill-fitting bra, which is why this V-neck option caught our eye.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • There have been 42 accidents and crashes tied to the Catalina airport, claiming 30 lives since 1982.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This planning study stems from the city’s high-injury network, a group of roads that have the highest number of serious injury and fatal crashes.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The agreement follows years of uncertainty over the papers' future and scuttles a rival bid by the owner of the Daily Mail to buy the Telegraph titles.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
    — Time, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • How IonQ cracked error correction Since making measurements of a qubit destroys its quantum state, researchers can only gather information about their syndromes to know if the qubit has accumulated an error or not.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The public health agency also said no biological safety breaches or laboratory accidents occurred at the facility.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The huge crowds were stressful for police, who ended up working longer shifts than usual to deal with traffic, accidents, shoplifting and other issues.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Instead, excess testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes the hair follicles to become smaller and then the hair strands to become thinner.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
  • When a storm strands the family with no wi-fi and no way home, everything changes.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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