wrecker

noun

wreck·​er ˈre-kər 

1

a

: one that searches for or works on the wrecks of ships (as for rescue or for plunder)

b

: tow truck

2

: one that wrecks

especially : one whose work is the demolition of buildings

Examples of wrecker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After years of delay, wreckers get ready to raze enormous ex-hotel in this central CT town After years of delay, wreckers get ready to raze enormous ex-hotel in this central CT town CT brewery closes a popular shoreline pub and restaurant location. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 20 Jan. 2025

In Central Arkansas, East End Towing, located on Ironton Road in Little Rock, stayed busy through the night with 12 wreckers going around-the-clock, according to dispatcher Scott Bates, with over 200 calls for service between 7 a.m. and noon on Friday alone. —Dale Ellis, arkansasonline.com, 10 Jan. 2025

At about ten o’clock that night, the bridge finally fell into the brook, but the truck did not follow, and was hauled to safety by a wrecker. —Gary Greenberg, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

The story of its existence—never safe from the wrecker’s ball and once, in 1997, devastated by a fire so hot the tiles fell off—begins with railroad baron Cornelius Vanderbilt opening Grand Central Terminal in 1913, putting the Oyster Bar in its belly. —John Mariani, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing wrecker

• home-wrecker

Kids Definition

wrecker

noun

wreck·​er ˈrek-ər 

1

a

: one that searches for or works on the wrecks of ships

b

: tow truck

2

: one that wrecks