wrack

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈrak How to pronounce wrack (audio)
Synonyms of wracknext
1
a
: a wrecked ship
b
: wreckage
c
: wreck
d
dialect : the violent destruction of a structure, machine, or vehicle
2
a
: marine vegetation
especially : kelp
b
: dried seaweeds

wrack

2 of 6

noun (2)

1
: ruin, destruction
2
: a remnant of something destroyed

wrack

3 of 6

verb (1)

wracked; wracking; wracks

transitive verb

: to utterly ruin : wreck

wrack

4 of 6

verb (2)

wracked; wracking; wracks
: rack entry 2

wrack

5 of 6

noun (3)

: rack entry 1 sense 2

wrack

6 of 6

noun (4)

: rack entry 7

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you rack or wrack your brain?

Wrack and rack are etymologically distinct, meaning they come from different words. Many usage guides will advise that you should use wrack for meanings such as "to utterly ruin," and rack for "to cause to suffer torture, pain, anguish, or ruin." If you follow this advice, the proper choice for what you do to your brain when thinking very hard is rack. However, wrack has long been used as a variant of rack, and numerous fine writers have avowedly wracked their brains or found something nerve-wracking.

Is it racked or wracked with pain?

Some guides feel that "racked with pain" is the preferable choice, although wrack is in many cases an acceptable variant. The verbs are often conflated despite their very different origins (the former from Middle Dutch rekken, meaning "to stretch," and the latter from the Middle English word for shipwreck, wrak).

"Do you rack up or wrack up debts?"

While there are a number of settings in which wrack is considered an acceptable variant of rack, the accumulation of debts is not one of them. In this context rack up typically means "to achieve, score; to accumulate."

Synonyms

Verb (1)

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of wrack in a Sentence

Verb (1) it's amazing how a raging sea can wrack a seemingly sturdy beachfront home
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Apart from vote-buying, analysts say the first round revealed genuine opposition to Sandu, whose first term has been wracked by successive crises. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 2 Nov. 2024 Anti-government protests were wracking the oil-rich South American nation. —Zach Dorfman, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
Another word supporters use for the recognizable high tide line is the wrack line. —Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023 Historically, small amounts of Sargassum have washed ashore with other beach wrack material such as sea grass, sponges and soft corals. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for wrack 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English wrak, borrowed from Middle Dutch wrac, wracke & Middle Low German wrak, going back to Germanic *wrak-a- "something driven," noun derivative from the base of Germanic *wrekan- "to drive out, pursue" — more at wreak

Noun (2)

Middle English wrake, wrak, going back to Old English wracu (genitive wræce) & wræc "vengeance, persecution, misery," noun derivatives from the base of Germanic *wrekan- "to drive out, pursue" — more at wreak

Verb (1)

earlier, "to undergo shipwreck, cast ashore by shipwreck," derivative of wrack entry 1

Verb (2)

by alteration

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1562, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1555, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1591, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1794, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wrack was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing wrack

Dictionary Entries Near wrack

WR

wrack

wrackful

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Wrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrack. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

wrack

noun
ˈrak
: violent or total destruction : ruin

More from Merriam-Webster on wrack

Nglish: Translation of wrack for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of wrack for Arabic Speakers

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