# shipwreck

/ˈʃɪpɹɛk/ (US) · /ʃˈɪpɹɛk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shipwreck
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. the physical remains

noun · CEFR B2

the broken remains of a ship that has sunk or crashed onto rocks.

For teachers: the physical remains of a vessel that has sunk or run aground and is no longer seaworthy.

- Divers discovered an old shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean.
- The archaeological team spent months mapping the sixteenth-century shipwreck, carefully documenting the hull's structural decay and the scattered cargo.

Usage: Countable in this sense.

### 2. the event

noun · CEFR B2

an accident at sea where a ship is destroyed or sinks.

For teachers: the event or occurrence of a ship sinking or being destroyed by running aground.

- Only three sailors survived the terrible shipwreck during the storm.
- The historical record details a catastrophic shipwreck off the Cornish coast, attributed to a combination of gale-force winds and navigational error.

Usage: Can be used as both a countable and uncountable noun.

### 3. a total failure

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

a situation that is a complete disaster or failure.

For teachers: a state of total destruction, ruin, or irretrievable loss in a non-maritime context.

- After the main actor quit, the whole theatre production became a shipwreck.
- The merger, once hailed as a brilliant strategic move, ultimately proved to be a financial shipwreck that cost the company millions.

Usage: Used figuratively to describe abstract failures.

### 4. to cause a wreck

verb · CEFR B2

to cause a ship to sink or be destroyed, usually by accident.

For teachers: to cause a vessel to be wrecked or destroyed through collision, grounding, or other maritime mishap.

- The hidden rocks threatened to shipwreck any boat that came too close.
- The captain feared that the intensifying hurricane would shipwreck the fleet before they could reach the safety of the harbour.

Usage: Often used in the passive voice ('to be shipwrecked').

## Examples

- Divers found gold coins inside the old shipwreck.
- The museum features a large collection of artifacts recovered from a 17th-century shipwreck off the coast.
- Marine archaeologists spent years mapping the shipwreck to understand how the vessel had been constructed before it succumbed to the violent storm.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.