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

The large stone pieces were pulled from the Mortar Wreck, a 13th-century shipwreck located off the coast of Dorset, according to a June 7 news release from Bournemouth University. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 7 June 2024

Dougal bought another yacht with the proceeds [from his book Survive the Savage Sea, about the shipwreck] in order to try and finally complete the voyage. —Douglas Robertson, Peoplemag, 6 June 2024

Verb

After an ambitious solo trip leaves her shipwrecked on a remote island, a young sailor is rescued by its lone inhabitant: a lighthouse keeper. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

Based on the 1908 novel of the same name, Blue Lagoon followed the lives of Richard (Atkins) and Emmeline (Shields), two cousins who are shipwrecked on an island as children and later become lovers. —EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023

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