wreck
• noun 1 the destruction of a ship at sea; a shipwreck. 2 a ship destroyed at sea. 3 a building, vehicle, etc. that has been destroyed or badly damaged. 4 N. Amer. a road or rail crash. 5 a person in a very bad physical or mental state. • verb 1 cause the destruction of (a ship) by sinking or breaking up. 2 destroy or severely damage. 3 spoil completely. 4 wrecking historical the practice of causing a shipwreck in order to steal the cargo. — ORIGIN Old French wrec, from Old Norse; related to WREAK.
Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary
About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day
Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names
| 
