train wreck
noun
variants
or less commonly trainwreck
plural train wrecks also trainwrecks
1
: a violent and destructive crash involving a train
2
: an utter disaster or mess : a disastrous calamity or source of trouble
Six months later, with Washington facing a political train wreck in Iraq, whom did it call? The United Nations.—
Fareed Zakaria
Fareed ZakariaThe train wreck that was Florence Ballard could not be hidden anymore. … Those shows went on without a hitch, but with Ballard progressively drinking harder, disaster awaited them as they trekked from Miami to play several college dates across the South.—Mark Ballard
Mark Ballard… to create what is termed on Capitol Hill a train wreck—a budget crisis so awful that the President would have to seriously negotiate, and yield on taxes.—Elizabeth Drew
Elizabeth DrewExamples of train wreck in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The conversation is a slow-motion train wreck written in the direction of Trump.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Those possibilities, though, appear severely threatened after old tweets of Gascón’s led her to issue an apology Thursday — the latest setback in an Oscar campaign that’s veering close to becoming a train wreck.
—Jake Coyle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
There were no train wrecks, although Bill Murray’s seemingly improvised schtick and a messy Post Malone/Nirvana crossover episode fell short of expectations.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2025
The show actually being watchable after last year’s train wreck?
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for train wreck
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Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Those possibilities, though, appear severely threatened after old tweets of Gascón’s led her to issue an apology Thursday — the latest setback in an Oscar campaign that’s veering close to becoming a train wreck.
—Jake Coyle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
There were no train wrecks, although Bill Murray’s seemingly improvised schtick and a messy Post Malone/Nirvana crossover episode fell short of expectations.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 15 Feb. 2025
The show actually being watchable after last year’s train wreck?
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for train wreck
Cite this Entry
“Train wreck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/train%20wreck. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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