wreck
wreck — 名詞
1. a car, train, ship, plane, or other vehicle that has been so severely damaged by
殘骸
遭嚴重毀壞的交通工具
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.
潛水員在葡萄牙外海發現了一艘十七世紀商船的殘骸。
the wreck of [ship]: common pattern for ruined vessels
The car was a total wreck after Joon skidded and hit a concrete barrier.
Joon 在濕滑的路上打滑撞上水泥護欄後，車子完全成了廢鐵。
total wreck: intensifier collocation
Salvage crews removed the wreck of the train from the collapsed tunnel.
打撈人員將火車殘骸從崩塌的隧道中移走。
The rusting wreck of an old fishing boat sat on the beach for years.
一艘老舊漁船的生鏽殘骸多年來一直擱置在海灘上。
Firefighters pulled the driver from the wreck just before the car burst into flames.
消防員在車子起火前，將駕駛從殘骸中拉了出來。
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
廢人
身心狀況極差的人
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.
連續上了三個夜班之後，Ritu 整個人累得像廢人一樣。
complete wreck: common intensifier
The stress of the college entrance exams turned Joon into a nervous wreck.
大學入學考試的壓力讓 Joon 變得神經緊繃、焦慮不已。
nervous wreck: fixed phrase
Sirin became an emotional wreck when she heard the test results.
Sirin 聽到測驗結果時情緒崩潰。
Matthew was a wreck after running his first marathon without drinking enough water.
Matthew 跑完第一場馬拉松卻沒喝足夠的水，整個人虛脫了。
- 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
車禍；船難
車輛或船隻的嚴重事故
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.
今天早上高速公路發生一場車禍，三人被送醫。
car wreck: most common compound for road accidents
The train wreck blocked the main railway line for nearly twelve hours.
那場火車出軌事故導致主要鐵路線中斷將近十二個小時。
Imani witnessed a terrible wreck at the intersection where two trucks collided at high speed.
Imani 在路口目睹一場嚴重的車禍，兩輛卡車高速相撞。
The coast guard confirmed that a shipwreck occurred near the harbor during the severe storm.
海岸防衛隊證實強烈暴風雨期間港灣附近發生了一起船難。
Police closed the bridge after a multi-car wreck scattered debris across all lanes.
一場連環車禍的碎片散落在所有車道上，警方因此封閉了大橋。
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 — 動詞
1. to damage a vehicle, building, or other physical object so severely that it can
撞毀；摧毀
徹底破壞有形物體
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.
地震摧毀了該市歷史街區大部分的老建築。
Christopher wrecked his father's truck when he skidded on the icy road.
Christopher 在結冰的路上打滑，把他父親的卡車撞毀了。
wreck + vehicle: most common object type
The hurricane wrecked dozens of fishing boats that were tied up at the harbor dock.
颶風摧毀了數十艘停泊在港口碼頭的漁船。
Thieves broke into the warehouse and completely wrecked the machinery with sledgehammers.
竊賊闖入倉庫，用大錘將機器徹底砸爛。
The old pier was wrecked by a series of winter storms.
這座老碼頭被一連串的冬季風暴摧毀了。
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
搞砸；毀掉
完全破壞非物質事物
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.
突如其來的雷雨毀掉了我們在戶外舉行婚禮的計畫。
wreck + plan(s): most common abstract collocation
A single typo in the email address wrecked the entire marketing campaign for Emre.
Email 地址中的一個打字錯誤毀掉了 Emre 的整個行銷活動。
The power cut wrecked Eleni's chances of submitting her assignment before the deadline.
停電讓 Eleni 在截止日前完成作業的希望泡湯了。
Beatrix was afraid that her angry outburst would wreck her friendship with Lara.
Beatrix 擔心自己一時情緒失控發脾氣，會毀掉她和 Lara 的友誼。
Years of poor management have completely wrecked the company's reputation in the market.
多年管理不善徹底毀掉了這家公司在市場上的聲譽。
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.