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
shipwrecked; shipwrecking; shipwrecks
1
a
: to cause to experience shipwreck
b
: ruin
2
: to destroy (a ship) by grounding or foundering
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
Skyler Caruso, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
After surviving the shipwreck, Pi’s joy, humor and despair turn on a dime as his lifeboat is beset by surviving animals — a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan named Orange Juice, and our Royal Bengal tiger.
—John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2025
Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
But also remember: This is a woman who has pretty much rolled with it when attacked by big game and shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
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Noun
Bored, the duo turned to Google for activity inspiration and found shipwrecks in the area.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
After surviving the shipwreck, Pi’s joy, humor and despair turn on a dime as his lifeboat is beset by surviving animals — a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan named Orange Juice, and our Royal Bengal tiger.
—John Wenzel, The Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
Sawai's Mariko serves as a critical interpreter between the powerful Lord Yoshii Toranaga and an Englishman shipwrecked in Japan, John Blackthorne.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Jan. 2025
But also remember: This is a woman who has pretty much rolled with it when attacked by big game and shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shipwreck. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
: to cause to experience shipwreck
a storm that shipwrecked the sailors
2
: to destroy (a ship) by driving ashore or sinking
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