Standard Lemma guide

wreak

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: rēk
  • UK: /ɹiːk/
  • US: /ɹik/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːk
  • homophone: reek
  • CMU ARPABET: R IY1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Punishment; retribution; payback.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, literary

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The earthquake wreaked havoc in the city.
  • She wreaked her anger on his car.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

Examples

  • The police abused their authority to wreak an innocent.
  • The criminal has been wreaked by the Judge to spend a year in prison.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To inflict or take vengeance on.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To take vengeance for.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

Misspelling of reek.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, intransitive, misspelling

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

cause to happen or to occur as a consequence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I cannot work a miracle
  • wreak havoc
  • bring comments
  • play a joke
  • The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bring, work, play, make for

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

History

Etymology

From Middle English wreke, wrake, Northern Middle English variants of wreche, influenced later by Etymology 1, above. Compare Dutch wraak.

From Middle English wreken, from Old English wrecan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrekan, from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“push, shove, drive, track down”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Dutch wreken, German rächen, Swedish vräka; cognate via PIE with Latin urgēre (English urge), and distantly cognate with English wreck.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 造成 (zàochéng) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Czech: napáchat — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Czech: způsobit — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Czech: nadělat (škodu) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Danish: volde — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Finnish: aiheuttaa — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Finnish: kohdistaa — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • German: verursachen — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • German: auslassen — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • German: anrichten — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Polish: siać (spustoszenie) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Polish: wyładowywać (gniew) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Polish: wyładować (gniew) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Romanian: a cauza — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Romanian: provoca — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Romanian: vărsa nervii — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Russian: наноси́ть (nanosítʹ) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Russian: причиня́ть (pričinjátʹ) — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Serbo-Croatian: nanijeti — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Serbo-Croatian: počiniti — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Spanish: provocar — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Spanish: infligir — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Spanish: volcar — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Swedish: vålla — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Turkish: almak — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Turkish: çıkarmak — to cause or inflict causing injury
  • Bulgarian: отмъщавам си (otmǎštavam si) — to take vengeance
  • Finnish: kurittaa — to take vengeance
  • German: rächen — to take vengeance
  • Polish: pomścić — to take vengeance
  • Russian: мстить (mstitʹ) — to take vengeance
  • Spanish: vengarse de — to take vengeance
  • Turkish: hınç almak — to take vengeance
  • Turkish: hınç çıkarmak — to take vengeance
  • Turkish: öç almak — to take vengeance
  • Turkish: intikam almak — to take vengeance