wreck
wreck — noun
1. a car, train, ship, plane, or other vehicle that has been so severely damaged by
a car, train, ship, plane, or other vehicle that has been so severely damaged by an accident or disaster that it can no longer be used or moved
Divers found the wreck of a 17th-century merchant ship off the coast of Portugal.
the wreck of [ship]: common pattern for ruined vessels
The car was a total wreck after Joon skidded and hit a concrete barrier.
total wreck: intensifier collocation
Salvage crews removed the wreck of the train from the collapsed tunnel.
The rusting wreck of an old fishing boat sat on the beach for years.
Firefighters pulled the driver from the wreck just before the car burst into flames.
文法句型
the wreck of [vehicle/ship]
用法筆記
Commonly found in the pattern 'the wreck of [vehicle name]' when identifying a specific ruined vehicle. 'Wreck' often combines with adjectives like 'total', 'rusting', and 'burning' before it.
2. a person who looks or feels extremely tired, anxious, ill, or emotionally broken
a person who looks or feels extremely tired, anxious, ill, or emotionally broken, especially after a difficult physical or mental experience
After working three night shifts in a row, Ritu was a complete wreck.
complete wreck: common intensifier
The stress of the college entrance exams turned Joon into a nervous wreck.
nervous wreck: fixed phrase
Sirin became an emotional wreck when she heard the test results.
Matthew was a wreck after running his first marathon without drinking enough water.
- basket case
more informal and stronger; implies total inability to function
- mess
broader — can describe either a person or a situation
- disaster
informal and hyperbolic: 'He was a disaster at the meeting'
文法句型
[adjective] + wreck
a + [adjective] + wreck
用法筆記
Nearly always used with an adjective (nervous wreck, emotional wreck, complete wreck) or preceded by 'a wreck'. The adjective specifies what kind of condition the person is in. Avoid using without a modifier — 'He was a wreck' is natural only if the context is clear.
常見錯誤
3. a crash that severely damages a car, train, ship, or other vehicle, often becaus
a crash that severely damages a car, train, ship, or other vehicle, often because it hits another vehicle or object
Three people went to hospital after a car wreck on the highway this morning.
car wreck: most common compound for road accidents
The train wreck blocked the main railway line for nearly twelve hours.
Imani witnessed a terrible wreck at the intersection where two trucks collided at high speed.
The coast guard confirmed that a shipwreck occurred near the harbor during the severe storm.
Police closed the bridge after a multi-car wreck scattered debris across all lanes.
文法句型
car wreck
train wreck
shipwreck
用法筆記
The accident sense ('car wreck') and the ruined-vehicle sense are closely related. The accident sense focuses on the event itself, while sense 1 focuses on the damaged object. 'Wreck' in this sense is often combined with a vehicle type: car wreck, train wreck, shipwreck.
常見錯誤
wreck — verb
1. to damage a vehicle, building, or other physical object so severely that it can
to damage a vehicle, building, or other physical object so severely that it can no longer be repaired or used in its original form
The earthquake wrecked most of the old buildings in the historic district of the city.
Christopher wrecked his father's truck when he skidded on the icy road.
wreck + vehicle: most common object type
The hurricane wrecked dozens of fishing boats that were tied up at the harbor dock.
Thieves broke into the warehouse and completely wrecked the machinery with sledgehammers.
The old pier was wrecked by a series of winter storms.
文法句型
wreck [vehicle/building/object]
be wrecked by [cause]
用法筆記
Often used in the passive ('was wrecked') when the cause is a natural disaster or accident. The past participle 'wrecked' is also common as an adjective describing damaged objects. The object is almost always a concrete physical object — for abstract things, use sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. to spoil a plan, situation, relationship, or other non-physical thing so complet
to spoil a plan, situation, relationship, or other non-physical thing so completely that it fails or can no longer continue in a satisfactory way
The sudden thunderstorm wrecked our plan to have the wedding ceremony outdoors.
wreck + plan(s): most common abstract collocation
A single typo in the email address wrecked the entire marketing campaign for Emre.
The power cut wrecked Eleni's chances of submitting her assignment before the deadline.
Beatrix was afraid that her angry outburst would wreck her friendship with Lara.
Years of poor management have completely wrecked the company's reputation in the market.
文法句型
wreck [plans/chances/relationship/career]
用法筆記
The object must be abstract — plans, chances, relationships, careers, reputations, holidays, or similar. This sense is NOT used for physical objects (use sense 1 instead). The meaning is close to 'ruin' but 'wreck' suggests more sudden or violent failure.