Definition of "wreck" in English

noun

1. Something or someone that has been ruined.

   • He was an emotional wreck after the death of his wife.

2. The remains of something that has been severely damaged or worn down.

3. An event in which something is damaged through collision.

4. (law, uncountable) Goods, etc. cast ashore by the sea after a shipwreck.

5. (ornithology) A large number of birds that have been brought to the ground, injured or dead, by extremely adverse weather.

verb

1. (transitive) To destroy violently; to cause severe damage to something, to a point where it no longer works, or is useless.

   • He wrecked the car in a collision.
   • That adulterous hussy wrecked my marriage!

2. (transitive) To ruin or dilapidate.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To plunder goods from wrecked ships.

4. (transitive, Australia) To dismantle wrecked vehicles or other objects, to reclaim any useful parts.

5. (transitive) To involve in a wreck; hence, to cause to suffer ruin; to balk of success, and bring disaster on.

6. (intransitive) To be involved in a wreck; to be damaged or destroyed.