1
as in wrecking
the destruction or loss of a ship
the shipwreck of much of the Spanish Armada ended Spain's plans for invading England
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disaster
something that has failed
finally admitted that their marriage was a shipwreck and that the time had come to bail out
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Recent Examples of shipwreck
Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Inside, exhibits illustrate the history of the lighthouse, as well as the maritime history of the area, including major shipwrecks and the catastrophic Hurricane of 1938.
—Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The other half is dedicated to the Delgado family — patriarch Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), precocious Isabella (Audrina Miranda), teenager Teresa (Luna Blaise), and her boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono) — who end up shipwrecked after a dino encounter.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Noun
The heir of the painting's original owner, Dutch-Jewish art collector Jacques Goudstikke, who died in a shipwreck while fleeing Amsterdam during the war, has reportedly filed a legal claim to reclaim the artwork.
—Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Inside, exhibits illustrate the history of the lighthouse, as well as the maritime history of the area, including major shipwrecks and the catastrophic Hurricane of 1938.
—Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Epic story of perseverance and hope follows a 16-year-old boy who is shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and survives on a lifeboat with four companions: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The other half is dedicated to the Delgado family — patriarch Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), precocious Isabella (Audrina Miranda), teenager Teresa (Luna Blaise), and her boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono) — who end up shipwrecked after a dino encounter.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck
Noun
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The wrecking begins when Carey (Marvin), Paul’s best friend, ill-advisedly sleeps with Julie—and then, more ill-advisedly still, confesses it to Paul the next day.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This includes adding redundancy to vital systems, segmenting networks so that a compromise in one area does not spread unchecked, and developing explicit incident response processes that incorporate both cyber and physical disaster management.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Last year alone, disasters costing $11 billion hit Florida, according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, with a total cost between $300 billion and $450 billion from 1980 to 2024.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last week the hacks finally returned Read’s SUV, but with its electronics system totally wrecked.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Arguing further against a lopsided game, two Eagles defenders who wrecked Kansas City’s blocking in the Super Bowl have moved on.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Most survived the sinking, though 30 people died after their lifeboats were struck by the ship's rotating propellers.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Webb threw his sinking, two-seam fastball just eight times.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But the shot has been a life-saving public health intervention against the disease, which can lead to severe health problems, including liver cancer and failure, and death.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
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Johnson has faced six rule vote failures under his speakership, with the most recent on July 15.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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