wrack

verb

Definition of wracknext
as in to ruin
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrack Complicating efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus is the fact that this part of the DRC has been wracked by violence for decades, leaving huge numbers of people displaced and struggling to feed their families. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026 Members of Mastodon said they were wracked with grief when their cofounder and former guitarist was killed in a motorcycle crash last summer. — Asia Simone Burns, AJC.com, 10 Sep. 2026 The dam to my grief burst into loud, gut-wrenching sobs, wracking my body and crushing my soul. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 The biggest American star in men’s tennis met the biggest star in the sport — a matchup wracked with tension that delivered through five sets — on a school night. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrack
  1. ruin
  2. destroy
  3. wreck
  4. devastate
  5. shatter
  6. demolish
Verb
  • Artificial, though, ends with a scene that convincingly conveys the extent to which AI will ruin all our lives.
    — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Civic, before it was smashed and ruined, had been a private world, an extension of myself.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • Rather than undertaking the difficult but just and moral work of reform of the nation's immigration laws, Vance would destroy and expel their families with a smile, claiming that such actions will save you money.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Running low on fuel, NASA chose to steer Cassini straight into Saturn's atmosphere, where the spacecraft was destroyed.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • The story centers on an influencer whose life is wrecked by an online pile-on.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • If checking your score reliably wrecks your morning, the device isn’t working for you.
    — J. David Creswell, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of wreck
Verb
  • Non-consensually posted intimate images can devastate women – and beget male bonding.
    — Brittany Luse, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
  • That pad, now dubbed LC-36A, was devastated by a massive explosion during a test back in May, but construction crews have worked 24/7 to try and build it back to launch capability before the end of the year.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastate
Verb
  • Overwhelmed police forces often failed to intervene as thousands of vandals, many wearing masks and caps that hid their faces, shattered storefront windows and walked off with merchandise.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • When Ida suddenly disappears, Sine’s world is shattered, yet her lost freedom, old friends, and acting career unexpectedly return.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of shatter
Verb
  • For one thing, Baron Haussmann had demolished swaths of the neighborhood in the mid-eighteen-hundreds to create the Place de la République.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In the 1990s, plans to demolish the deteriorating site and replace it with an underground car park sparked fierce opposition from local residents and traders, who successfully campaigned to save it.
    — Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolish

Browse Nearby Words

wowsers
wrack
wracked
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Cite this Entry

“Wrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrack. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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