noun
shipwreck
SHIHP-rehk
noun
1
A ship that has sunk or been wrecked, or its remains.
"Divers explored the shipwreck off the coast."
2
Total disaster or ruin.
"The scandal was a shipwreck for his career."
verb
1
To destroy a ship through collision, grounding, or storm.
"The crew was shipwrecked on a remote island."
How to Use Shipwreck
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA sunken or destroyed ship, or by extension any total disaster.
Common pairings
sunken shipwreck
shipwreck survivor
Word Forms
shipwrecked past tense, shipwrecks plural, shipwrecks singular
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Etymology
From Old English sċipwræc, "jetsam" — a compound of ship and wrack, later reshaped under the influence of the word wreck.