The meaning of Wreck

phrasal verb

Break or cause to break into pieces

phrasal verb

(of a telephone conversation) to become impossible to understand because the connection is not strong enough

Usage examples:

He was on the subway when he called and started to break up before i could answer., the company has…

phrasal verb

To divide, or to divide something, into smaller parts

Usage examples:

The company has been broken up and sold off., manufacturing ceased at the factory when the original…

verb

(of a boat) be overturned in the water.

Usage examples:

The craft capsized in heavy seas

noun

An instance of capsizing.

Usage examples:

Do you know what to do in the event of a capsize?

verb

To turn over or cause a boat or ship to turn over in the water

Usage examples:

[ i ] a passenger ferry capsized in rough seas sunday morning.

verb

(of a vehicle) collide violently with an obstacle or another vehicle.

Usage examples:

A racing car had crashed, wrecking a safety barrier

noun

A violent collision, typically of one vehicle with another or with an object.

Usage examples:

A car crash

adjective

Done rapidly or urgently and involving a concentrated effort.

Usage examples:

A crash course in italian

noun

Physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something.

Usage examples:

Bombing caused extensive damage to the town

verb

Inflict physical harm on (something) so as to impair its value, usefulness, or normal function.

Usage examples:

The car was badly damaged in the accident

verb

To harm or spoil something

Usage examples:

Many buildings were badly damaged by the earthquake., news reports damaged the senator’s reputation…

noun

Scattered pieces of rubbish or remains.

Usage examples:

Workmen were clearing the roads of the debris from shattered buildings

noun

Broken or torn pieces left from the destruction of something larger

Usage examples:

After the tornado, debris from damaged trees and houses littered the town.

verb

Spoil the surface or appearance of (something), for example by drawing or writing on it.

Usage examples:

He defaced library books

verb

Pull or knock down (a building).

Usage examples:

The house was demolished to make way for the shopping centre

verb

To completely destroy buildings or other structures

Usage examples:

Most of the town was demolished by the tornado., they demolished the old school to build a new one.

noun

The action or process of demolishing or being demolished.

Usage examples:

The monument was saved from demolition

noun

The act of destroying something, such as a building or other structure

Usage examples:

[ c ] they tried unsuccessfully to stop the demolition of the old hotel.

verb

Treat (a sacred place or thing) with violent disrespect.

Usage examples:

More than 300 graves were desecrated

verb

To damage or show a lack of respect toward something holy or respected

Usage examples:

Vandals desecrated the monument., the desecration of a cemetery/shrine/house of worship

verb

To damage or show no respect towards something holy or very much respected

Usage examples:

The mosque/shrine was desecrated by vandals., it's a crime to desecrate the country's flag.

verb

End the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it.

Usage examples:

The room had been destroyed by fire

verb

To damage something, esp. in a violent way, so that it can no longer be used or no longer exists

Usage examples:

You can use a shredder to destroy old bank statements., losing his job seemed to completely destroy…

noun

The action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.

Usage examples:

The destruction of the rainforest

noun

The action of destroying something, or the state of being destroyed

Usage examples:

Unusually high winds left widespread destruction over the area., the child needs help to control hi…

noun

Waste or debris of any kind.

Usage examples:

The streets were foul with detritus

noun

Waste material or rubbish, especially left after a particular event

Usage examples:

Detritus of the stadium was littered with the detritus of yesterday's concert.

noun

Great destruction or damage.

Usage examples:

The floods caused widespread devastation

noun

Damage and destruction

Usage examples:

If disease is allowed to spread, it will cause widespread devastation., the storm left behind it a …

noun

The process of losing cohesion or strength.

Usage examples:

The twin problems of economic failure and social disintegration

noun

A situation in which a company is divided into smaller companies, or an industry changes so that it contains more small companies and fewer large ones

verb

Take (a machine or structure) to pieces.

Usage examples:

The engines were dismantled and the bits piled into a heap

verb

To take a machine or something complicated apart, usually to make it unable to work

Usage examples:

The government voted to dismantle its nuclear warheads., they worried that dismantling the welfare …

noun

A small part broken off or separated from something.

Usage examples:

Small fragments of pottery

verb

Break or cause to break into fragments.

Usage examples:

Lough erne fragmented into a series of lakes

noun

A small piece or part, esp. one that is broken off of something

Usage examples:

A bone fragment, a fragment of indian pottery, she read a fragment of the story.

noun

A portion of an object or of material, produced by cutting, tearing, or breaking the whole.

Usage examples:

A piece of cheese

verb

Assemble something from parts or pieces.

Usage examples:

The dinosaur was pieced together from 119 bones

noun

A part of something

Usage examples:

A piece of cake/chicken/pizza, the vase lay on the floor in pieces (= broken into small parts)., sh…

verb

Crash (a motor vehicle or aircraft).

Usage examples:

Ernie pranged his sports car last month

noun

A crash involving a motor vehicle or aircraft.

Usage examples:

He had numerous prangs and near misses in his motoring life

verb

To damage a vehicle slightly in a road accident

Usage examples:

She pranged her mother's car a week after she passed her driving test.

noun

An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical interest.

Usage examples:

A museum of railway relics

noun

A part of something that is left over when other parts have been completed, used, or dealt with.

Usage examples:

Leave a few mushrooms for garnish and slice the remainder

verb

Dispose of (a book left unsold) at a reduced price.

Usage examples:

Titles are being remaindered increasingly quickly to save on overheads

noun

The part that is left after the other parts are gone, used, or taken away

Usage examples:

It rained the first day but was sunny for the remainder of the trip.

verb

Continue to exist, especially after other similar people or things have ceased to do so.

Usage examples:

A cloister is all that remains of the monastery

plural noun

The parts left over after other parts have been removed, used, or destroyed.

Usage examples:

The remains of a sandwich lunch were on the table

noun

A part or quantity that is left after the greater part has been used, removed, or destroyed.

Usage examples:

The bogs are an endangered remnant of a primeval landscape

adjective

Remaining.

Usage examples:

Remnant strands of hair

noun

The physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.

Usage examples:

A large white house falling into gentle ruin

verb

Reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration.

Usage examples:

The castle was ruined when dynamite was used to demolish one of the corner towers

verb

To spoil or destroy something

Usage examples:

It would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful place., that guy isn’t going to ruin my life.

noun

The action or fact of ruining someone or something or of being ruined.

Usage examples:

Commercial malpractice causes the ruination of thousands of people

noun

Destruction

Usage examples:

Alcohol was the ruination of him.

noun

The physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.

Usage examples:

A large white house falling into gentle ruin

verb

Reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration.

Usage examples:

The castle was ruined when dynamite was used to demolish one of the corner towers

verb

To spoil or destroy something

Usage examples:

It would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful place., that guy isn’t going to ruin my life.

verb

Deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military advantage.

Usage examples:

Power lines from south africa were sabotaged by rebel forces

noun

The action of sabotaging something.

Usage examples:

A coordinated campaign of sabotage

verb

To damage or destroy equipment, weapons, or buildings in order to prevent the success of an enemy or competitor

Usage examples:

The rebels had tried to sabotage the oil pipeline.

adjective

Very shocking or upsetting.

Usage examples:

He found it a shattering experience

verb

Break or cause to break suddenly and violently into pieces.

Usage examples:

Bullets riddled the bar top, glasses shattered, bottles exploded

adjective

Making you feel extremely tired

Usage examples:

It was a shattering schedule - seven meetings in two days., losing the family business was a shatte…

noun

The destruction of a ship at sea by sinking or breaking up, for example in a storm or after striking a rock.

Usage examples:

These islands have a history of shipwrecks and smuggling

verb

(of a person or ship) suffer a shipwreck.

Usage examples:

The english envoy was shipwrecked off the coast of sardinia and nearly drowned

noun

The destruction or sinking of a ship at sea, or a ship destroyed this way

Usage examples:

[ c ] fog in the area caused many shipwrecks., the crew was shipwrecked off the coast of newfoundla…

verb

Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged.

Usage examples:

He saw the coffin sink below the surface of the waves

noun

A fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe.

Usage examples:

I stood at the kitchen sink

noun

Fall or descend to a lower place or level

verb

Go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become submerged.

Usage examples:

He saw the coffin sink below the surface of the waves

noun

A fixed basin with a water supply and outflow pipe.

Usage examples:

I stood at the kitchen sink

noun

A pool or marsh in which a river's water disappears by evaporation or percolation.

Usage examples:

Once again, however, rumours of caves higher on the hillside and far off river sinks abound.

verb

Violently break (something) into pieces.

Usage examples:

The thief smashed a window to get into the car

noun

An act or sound of something smashing.

Usage examples:

He heard the smash of glass

adverb

With a sudden, violent shattering.

Usage examples:

They were together for an instant, and then smash it was all gone

adjective

Excellent; wonderful.

Usage examples:

You look smashing!

verb

Violently break (something) into pieces.

Usage examples:

The thief smashed a window to get into the car

adjective

Comprising the whole number or amount.

Usage examples:

A total cost of £4,000

noun

The whole number or amount of something.

Usage examples:

He scored a total of thirty-three points

verb

Amount in number to.

Usage examples:

They were left with debts totalling £6,260

noun

Waste material; refuse.

Usage examples:

The subway entrance was blocked with trash

verb

Damage or destroy.

Usage examples:

My apartment's been totally trashed

noun

Anything that is worthless and of low quality; waste

Usage examples:

We filled three cans with trash from the garage., i simply trash that kind of mail., some people se…

verb

Deliberately destroy or damage (public or private property).

Usage examples:

Stations have been vandalized beyond recognition

verb

To intentionally damage property belonging to other people

Usage examples:

When i got back, my car had been vandalized., bored teenagers went around vandalizing phoneboxes.

noun

The remains of something that has been badly damaged or destroyed.

Usage examples:

Firemen had to cut him free from the wreckage of the car

noun

What is left of something badly damaged

Usage examples:

Safety experts were studying the wreckage to find out what caused the crash.

noun

A situation in which something has been badly damaged or destroyed

Usage examples:

The bank's directors should not be allowed to walk away from the financial wreckage they created., …

noun

The action of causing the destruction of a ship in order to steal the cargo.

Usage examples:

The locals reverted to the age-old practice of wrecking

verb

Destroy or severely damage (a structure, vehicle, or similar).

Usage examples:

The blast wrecked 100 houses

verb

Present participle of wreck

Usage examples:

The explosion shattered nearby windows and wrecked two cars., our greenhouse was wrecked in last ni…

idiom

Reduce the estimated value of something

phrasal verb

Dismiss someone or something as insignificant.

Usage examples:

They were written off as a bunch of no-hopers

phrasal verb

Cancel the record of a bad debt; acknowledge the loss of or failure to recover an asset.

Usage examples:

He urged the banks to write off debt owed by poorer countries