1
as in wrecking
the destruction or loss of a ship
the shipwreck of much of the Spanish Armada ended Spain's plans for invading England
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2
as in disaster
something that has failed
finally admitted that their marriage was a shipwreck and that the time had come to bail out
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shipwreck
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 19 June 2025
There are deep shipwrecks, big waves, and surf culture on the Atlantic side, and sugar-white sand and eco paradises filled with mangroves and wildlife on the west side.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 17 June 2025
Andy Swift, TVLine, 16 Feb. 2025
The movie, the story of a robot shipwrecked on an island only inhabited by animals, includes a shot of San Francisco Bay and depicts the Golden Gate Bridge as submerged due to sea level rise.
—Zack Budryk, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Noun
In June 2023, five people hoping to catch an up-close and personal glimpse of the Titanic shipwreck descended in a 22-foot-long, 25,000-pound submersible made of titanium and carbon fiber.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 19 June 2025
There are deep shipwrecks, big waves, and surf culture on the Atlantic side, and sugar-white sand and eco paradises filled with mangroves and wildlife on the west side.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 17 June 2025
Verb
Another particularly gay episode sends Peter and his friends on a dangerous sailing expedition, only for them to get shipwrecked on Fire Island.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 16 Feb. 2025
The movie, the story of a robot shipwrecked on an island only inhabited by animals, includes a shot of San Francisco Bay and depicts the Golden Gate Bridge as submerged due to sea level rise.
—Zack Budryk, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shipwreck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shipwreck
Noun
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Additionally, the general public came to mistrust and reject nuclear energy projects, further disillusioned by the Three Mile Island disaster.—
Time,
Time,
15 July 2025
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But there are some disasters that even the most equipped people can’t possibly prepare for.—
Jessica Pishko,
New Yorker,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Day camp providers and schools are warning that a Trump administration funding freeze could wreck summer for low-income American families and wipe out some after-school programming next year.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
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Social media is abuzz with Tatsuki's prophecy of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami wrecking her home country of Japan -- a place prone to natural disasters but also a top destination for many in Asia -- sometime between July 5 and 7.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
Noun
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The changes address failures uncovered a year ago by the ProPublica/CBS News investigation.—
Cassandra Jaramillo,
ProPublica,
12 July 2025
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Ford is recalling over 850,000 vehicles due to a potential low-pressure fuel pump failure, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shipwreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shipwreck. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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