shipwreck
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the broken remains of a ship that has sunk or crashed onto rocks.
n.the physical remains of a vessel that has sunk or run aground and is no longer seaworthy.
Simple“Divers discovered an old shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean.”
In context“The archaeological team spent months mapping the sixteenth-century shipwreck, carefully documenting the hull's structural decay and the scattered cargo.”
UsageCountable in this sense.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.an accident at sea where a ship is destroyed or sinks.
n.the event or occurrence of a ship sinking or being destroyed by running aground.
Simple“Only three sailors survived the terrible shipwreck during the storm.”
In context“The historical record details a catastrophic shipwreck off the Cornish coast, attributed to a combination of gale-force winds and navigational error.”
UsageCan be used as both a countable and uncountable noun.
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a situation that is a complete disaster or failure.
n.a state of total destruction, ruin, or irretrievable loss in a non-maritime context.
Simple“After the main actor quit, the whole theatre production became a shipwreck.”
In context“The merger, once hailed as a brilliant strategic move, ultimately proved to be a financial shipwreck that cost the company millions.”
UsageUsed figuratively to describe abstract failures.
Synonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to cause a ship to sink or be destroyed, usually by accident.
v.to cause a vessel to be wrecked or destroyed through collision, grounding, or other maritime mishap.
Simple“The hidden rocks threatened to shipwreck any boat that came too close.”
In context“The captain feared that the intensifying hurricane would shipwreck the fleet before they could reach the safety of the harbour.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice ('to be shipwrecked').
“Archaeologist Gino Caspari holds an iron artifact recovered from one of the Menorca shipwrecks.”
From Middle English shipwrak, from Old English sċipwræc (“jetsam”), equivalent to ship + wrack. Cognate with Scots schip-wrak (“to shipwreck”, verb), Swedish skeppsvrak (“shipwreck”), Danish skibsvrag (“shipwreck”). Modern form is due to influence from wreck.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.