I. ˈshiˌprek noun
Etymology: alteration (influenced by wreck ) of earlier shipwrack, from Middle English schipwrak, from Old English scipwræc, from scip ship + wræc something driven by the sea — more at ship , wrack
1. : a wrecked ship or its parts : wreckage
2. : the destruction or loss (as by sinking or being cast ashore or driven against rocks or shoals) of a ship
3. : an irretrievable loss or failure : ruin , destruction
the conference nearly ended in shipwreck — New Statesman & Nation
the shipwreck of her marriage — Judith Heller
the shipwreck of our hopes — Harrison Smith
II. transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause (as sailors or passengers) to experience shipwreck
they too were shipwrecked in another great mystery of the sea — W.E.Swinton
b. : to afflict with disaster or loss : ruin
shipwrecked his career — C.L.Jones
the human animal, nearly shipwrecked, will turn toward some means to save itself — J.S.Collis
2. : to destroy (a ship) by driving ashore or upon rocks or sandbanks or causing to founder by the force of wind and waves
our little float was shipwrecked — Daniel Defoe
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : to experience shipwreck : to become shipwrecked
2. : to suffer ruin or failure
hopes not to shipwreck in his business venture