wreck

If something is badly damaged, it might be a wreck. This word is usually used as a noun or as a verb.

When it’s used a noun, a wreck might be a car:

a wrecked car

• This car is a wreck.
• My car is a wreck, but it still runs.
• Tony drives a wreck to work.
• If you drive a wreck, you don’t have to worry about someone stealing it.

A wreck can also be a person who is physically or emotionally in bad condition:

• What happened to you? You look like a wreck.
• Tanya was a nervous wreck as she waited to see her test results.
• Bill really let himself go. He’s gained 50 pounds! What a wreck.

In the next set of sentences, the word "wreck" is a verb:

• Tigist wrecked her car. She has to get it fixed.
• Jorge wrecked his back playing football. He has to see a doctor.
• If you don’t pay your bills on time, you’ll wreck your credit history.
• The girl is wrecking her reputation by hanging out with drug addicts.

The words "wrecked" and "wrecking" can be used as adjectives:

• There’s a wrecked car in that guy’s backyard.
• Wrecked buildings are scattered throughout the city of Detroit.
• A wrecking ball knocked down the house so that a new one could be built.
• Those guys are really tough. They call themselves The Wrecking Crew.

This house is a wreck.

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This page was first published on February 17, 2013. It was updated on January 24, 2017.