I. wreck 1 /rek/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to completely spoil something so that it cannot continue in a successful way SYN ruin :
Injury threatened to wreck his sporting career.
It was drink that wrecked their marriage.
2 . to damage something such as a building or vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:
The car was completely wrecked in the accident.
3 . if a ship is wrecked, it is badly damaged and sinks SYN shipwreck :
The ship was wrecked off the coast of Africa.
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THESAURUS
▪ destroy to damage something so badly that it no longer exists or cannot be used or repaired:
The earthquake almost completely destroyed the city.
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The twin towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack.
▪ devastate to damage a large area very badly and destroy many things in it:
Allied bombings in 1943 devastated the city.
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The country’s economy has been devastated by years of fighting.
▪ demolish to completely destroy a building, either deliberately or by accident:
The original 15th century house was demolished in Victorian times.
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The plane crashed into a suburb of Paris, demolishing several buildings.
▪ flatten to destroy a building or town by knocking it down, bombing it etc, so that nothing is left standing:
The town centre was flattened by a 500 lb bomb.
▪ wreck to deliberately damage something very badly, especially a room or building:
The toilets had been wrecked by vandals.
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They just wrecked the place.
▪ trash informal to deliberately destroy a lot of the things in a room, house etc:
Apparently, he trashed his hotel room while on drugs.
▪ obliterate formal to destroy a place so completely that nothing remains:
The nuclear blast obliterated most of Hiroshima.
▪ reduce something to ruins/rubble/ashes to destroy a building or town completely:
The town was reduced to rubble in the First World War.
▪ ruin to spoil something completely, so that it cannot be used or enjoyed:
Fungus may ruin the crop.
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The new houses will ruin the view.
II. wreck 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: wrek , from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . CAR/PLANE a car, plane, or train that has been damaged very badly, especially in a crash:
He was still alive when they pulled him from the wreck.
2 . SHIP a ship that has sunk SYN shipwreck
wreck of
Divers discovered the wreck of an old German warship.
3 . PERSON informal someone who is very nervous, tired, or unhealthy:
He looked a complete wreck.
nervous/emotional wreck
The attack had left her an emotional wreck.
4 . ACCIDENT American English an accident involving cars or other vehicles SYN crash
car/train/plane wreck
My father died in a car wreck.
5 . PLACE a place that is very untidy:
When you’re here, this place is a wreck!
6 . OLD CAR informal an old car that is in a very bad condition
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THESAURUS
▪ accident an event in which a vehicle is damaged and often someone is hurt:
Her father died in a car accident.
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Hugh had an accident on his way to work.
▪ crash a serious accident in which a vehicle hits something else:
Rees-Jones was the only person to survive the crash.
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a car/plane/train crash
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He was killed in a plane crash.
▪ collision an accident in which two or more cars, trains etc hit each other:
His car was involved in a collision with a train.
| a head-on collision (=between vehicles that are driving towards each other) :
The actor was killed in a head-on collision while driving his new sports car.
▪ disaster a serious accident involving a train, plane, or boat, in which a lot of people are killed or injured:
It was Britain’s worst air disaster.
▪ wreck American English an accident in which a car or train is badly damaged:
Ben nearly died in a car wreck.
▪ pile-up an accident that involves several cars or trucks:
The pile-up happened in thick fog.
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There was a 12-car pile-up on the motorway.
▪ fender-bender American English informal , prang British English informal a car accident in which little damage is done:
Atkinson was involved in a fender-bender in the hotel parking lot.
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At 15, he borrowed his parents’ car and had a prang.