as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home
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Recent Examples of wracking
With Lionsgate‘s nerve-wracking new horror movie, the multi-faceted actress is now on her second Stephen King adaptation — opening in theaters September 12.
—
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Here, tackling a masterpiece felt like a more complex, more nerve-wracking experience.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
These emotions were on full display in Switzerland on July 27, when England defeated Spain in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout to win the Women’s Euro 2025 title.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Air conditioning was probably a good idea for the three contestants who were formally dressed and answered nerve-wracking pageant questions.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
After a week of monitoring their usual intake with smart bottles and fluid diaries, the volunteers returned to the lab to take part in the Trier Social Stress Test, which mimics a nerve-wracking job interview where participants give a speech and perform mental arithmetic while being observed.
—New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025
What followed for the rest of the demo was a complex and nerve-wracking chase sequence.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2025
Here, tackling a masterpiece felt like a more complex, more nerve-wracking experience.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
These emotions were on full display in Switzerland on July 27, when England defeated Spain in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout to win the Women’s Euro 2025 title.
—Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Air conditioning was probably a good idea for the three contestants who were formally dressed and answered nerve-wracking pageant questions.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
After a week of monitoring their usual intake with smart bottles and fluid diaries, the volunteers returned to the lab to take part in the Trier Social Stress Test, which mimics a nerve-wracking job interview where participants give a speech and perform mental arithmetic while being observed.
—New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025
What followed for the rest of the demo was a complex and nerve-wracking chase sequence.
—David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wracking
Verb
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The military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Car designers love them for not ruining the lines of the door with the necessities of real life, but is the benefit from drag reduction worth the safety risk?—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
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And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The group also recently stepped out together at a University of Cincinnati football game, which just so happened to be Swift and Kelce’s first public outing since announcing their plans to get married with an internet-shattering post on Instagram in August.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
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Pamela Warner, mother and manager of the late actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, reflected on the life-shattering moment her son had untimely passed away.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More than just devastating the lives of these commuters — most of whom earn under $49,000 per year and work blue-collar jobs — each of these cars on the freeway is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.—
Stan Oklobdzija,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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After a series of devastating airstrikes, the Israeli military is sending its ground forces into Gaza City, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee and escalating a humanitarian crisis in the region.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Adam Berry/Getty Images What To Know Phoenix police said in a release to media that a 19-year-old was detained after wrecking a memorial for Kirk at the office of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group that Kirk co-founded.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Despite the mixed reception, the money counter was an earnest attempt to keep the show running on schedule, preventing one or two self-indulgent speakers from wrecking the running time.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From the Luddites smashing looms in 19th-century England to autoworkers walking out over the introduction of robots to the factory floor in the 1980s, resistance has flared before either being crushed or subsiding, giving way to the new economies and social orders the technologies ushered in.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The 40th anniversary of John Farnham’s record-smashing 1986 album Whispering Jack will be celebrated with a new musical.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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But in reality, deepfakes are getting better and the threat industry has many years of experience in honing lures to trick people, playing on emotions and overcoming natural suspicions and objections.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wracking. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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