Standard Lemma guide

wreckage

noun · 2 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.

  • /ˈɹɛkɪdʒ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R EH1 K AH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: R EH1 K IH0 JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something wrecked, especially the remains or debris of something which has been severely damaged or destroyed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they searched the wreckage for signs of survivors

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: part, portion

Narrower terms: flotsam, jetsam, lagan, lagend, ligan

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English wreck Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -agebor. Middle English -age English -age English wreckage From wreck + -age.

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: ацәынха́ (acwənxá) — something wrecked
  • Abkhaz: ацыԥҵәа́ха (acəpcwʼáxa) — something wrecked
  • Abkhaz: ахыжәжәа́ра (axəẑẑwára) — something wrecked
  • Bulgarian: останки (ostanki) — something wrecked
  • Bulgarian: отломки (otlomki) — something wrecked
  • Chinese Mandarin: 殘骸 /残骸 (cánhái) — something wrecked
  • Danish: vraggods — something wrecked
  • Finnish: romu — something wrecked
  • French: décombres — something wrecked
  • German: Trümmer — something wrecked
  • Hungarian: roncs — something wrecked
  • Japanese: 残骸 (zangai) — something wrecked
  • Macedonian: оста́тоци (ostátoci) — something wrecked
  • Macedonian: о́станки (óstanki) — something wrecked
  • Macedonian: кр́нтија (kŕntija) — something wrecked
  • Māori: kōkīkī — something wrecked
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vrakgods — something wrecked
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: vrakgods — something wrecked
  • Polish: szczątki — something wrecked
  • Russian: обло́мки (oblómki) — something wrecked
  • Russian: оста́тки (ostátki) — something wrecked
  • Russian: руи́ны (ruíny) — something wrecked
  • Serbo-Croatian: olupina — something wrecked
  • Slovene: razbitina — something wrecked
  • Spanish: escombros — something wrecked
  • Spanish: restos — something wrecked
Real reading context

wreckage in complete knowledge articles