English Reference
Noun

wreckage

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈɹɛkədʒ/ UK /ɹˈɛkɪdʒ/ wreck·age UK spelling wreckages

n.the broken pieces that are left after a vehicle, building, or large object has been destroyed. You usually see this after a crash or a bad storm.

n.the remains of something that has been severely damaged or destroyed, such as a vehicle, aircraft, or structure. Often refers to the physical debris resulting from a collision or disaster.


SIMPLE

Divers found the wreckage of the old ship on the ocean floor.

CONTEXTUAL

Emergency crews worked through the night to clear the wreckage from the highway after the multi-car collision.

COMPLEX

The investigators meticulously documented every piece of wreckage scattered across the field to determine whether mechanical failure or pilot error caused the mid-air disintegration.

Pitfall
The wreckages were everywhereThe wreckage was everywhere

Wreckage is uncountable and does not take a plural form; use 'pieces of wreckage' if you need to count individual items.

The plane was 9.45km (31,000 feet) over Scotland when the bomb went off, and the wreckage tumbled onto the town of Lockerbie, destroying an entire city block and killing 11 people on the ground.

Al Jazeera· 31 Aug 2026

The wreckage of the two cars remained on the scene, and the M9 stayed closed off in both directions.

BreakingNews.ie· 16 Aug 2026

From wreck + -age.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated