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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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
Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
Grant approval alone can take more than a year, long enough to grow a beard like one of Ernest Shackleton’s shipwreck survivors.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2025
Malta is known for the warmth of its people, as noted in the Book of Apostles when St. Paul was said to have been shipwrecked off the island coast in 60CE and found a welcoming community of locals.
—Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Noun
With the exception of 1980’s Drama – a giddy experiment in proggy new wave – the band’s remaining LPs to date sound like the remains of a shipwreck: a futile attempt to salvage bits and pieces from the old days.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2025
Grant approval alone can take more than a year, long enough to grow a beard like one of Ernest Shackleton’s shipwreck survivors.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
Lord of the Flies – A new BBC adaptation of William Golding’s book about a group of boys shipwrecked on a deserted island.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2025
Malta is known for the warmth of its people, as noted in the Book of Apostles when St. Paul was said to have been shipwrecked off the island coast in 60CE and found a welcoming community of locals.
—Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck
Noun
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The disaster led to passage of the Federal Coal Mine and Safety Act, which in turn added the miners' surveillance program under the respiratory health division at NIOSH.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2025
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Last month, the EU Commission urged its 450 million citizens to stockpile enough food, water and essentials for 72 hours in the event of emergencies like cyberattacks, climate disasters, disease and also geopolitical conflicts.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Three days prior, Dale Earnhardt, the sport’s superhero and antihero and transcendent phenom all in one, wrecked into the wall on Turn 4 on the last lap of the Daytona 500.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Apr. 2025
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The architectural vandalism was hideous and heartbreaking to watch, inhumane civic renewal by wrecking ball in the discredited vein of Robert Moses.—
Frank Rich,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But in reality, every success is built on a failure.—
Omaid Homayun,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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These setbacks highlight the inherent risks of space operations, where even minor failures can cost hundreds of millions and set timelines back by months or years.—
Jackie Snow,
Quartz,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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