shipwreck

1 of 2

noun

ship·​wreck ˈship-ˌrek 

1

: a wrecked ship or its parts

2

: the destruction or loss of a ship

3

: an irretrievable loss or failure

shipwreck

2 of 2

verb

shipwrecked; shipwrecking; shipwrecks

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to experience shipwreck

b

: ruin

2

: to destroy (a ship) by grounding or foundering

Synonyms

Noun

• shipwrecking
• wreck
• wreckage
• wrecking

Verb

• strand
• wreck

Examples of shipwreck in a Sentence

Noun

Only a few sailors survived the shipwreck.

The crew narrowly avoided shipwreck.

Divers searched the sunken shipwreck.

Verb

the yachtsman fell asleep at the wheel and shipwrecked his ketch on the rocks

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There is something almost dangerously tantalizing about an undiscovered shipwreck. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

Lay’s Auctioneers is offering up the coal—along with thousands of other artifacts connected to nearly 150 shipwrecks—during a sale that starts on November 6. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024

Verb

Adrian: Adrian is a minor character in The Tempest who is shipwrecked on the island. —Kara Nesvig, Parents, 14 Oct. 2024

The movie is based on Peter Brown’s beloved bestseller about a robot nicknamed ROZ who forms an unexpected bond with an orphaned gosling and other creatures after being shipwrecked on a lonely island. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of earlier shipwrack, from Middle English schipwrak, from Old English scipwræc, from scip ship + wræc something driven by the sea — more at wrack

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

shipwreck

1 of 2 noun

ship·​wreck -ˌrek 

1

: a wrecked ship

2

: the destruction or loss of a ship

shipwreck

2 of 2 verb

1

: to cause to experience shipwreck

a storm that shipwrecked the sailors

2

: to destroy (a ship) by driving ashore or sinking