wrack Meaning & Definition
What Does Wrack Mean?
As a noun, wrack means The remains of something; a wreck. It can also mean Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment; consequence; trouble. As a verb, it means To execute vengeance on; avenge. As a verb, it means To wreck, especially a ship.
Wrack: Key Facts
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ɹæk/ |
| Synonyms | rack, wreck and bust up |
| Plural | wracks |
| Verb forms | wracks, wracking, wracked |
Wrack Definition (Noun)
- The remains of something; a wreck.
- Vengeance; revenge; persecution; punishment; consequence; trouble.
- Ruin; destruction.
Wrack as a Verb
- To execute vengeance on; avenge.
- To worry; tease; torment.
Noun
- Remnant from a shipwreck as washed ashore; flotsam or jetsam. The right to claim such items.
- Remnant from a shipwreck as washed ashore; flotsam or jetsam.
- The right to claim such items.
- Any marine vegetation cast up on shore, especially seaweed of the family Fucaceae.
- Weeds, vegetation, or rubbish floating on a river or pond.
- A high, flying cloud; a rack.
Verb
- To wreck, especially a ship.
- Alternative form of rack (“to cause to suffer pain, etc.”).
Noun
- (except in dialects) Ruin; destruction.
- The remains; a wreck.
Verb
- To execute vengeance; avenge.
Verb
- To place in or hang on a rack.
- To torture (someone) on the rack.
- To cause (someone) to suffer pain.
- To stretch or strain; to harass, or oppress by extortion.
- To put the balls into the triangular rack and set them in place on the table.
- To strike a male in the testicles.
- To (manually) load (a round of ammunition) from the magazine or belt into firing position in an automatic or semiautomatic firearm.
- To move the slide bar on a shotgun in order to chamber the next round.
- To wash (metals, ore, etc.) on a rack.
- To bind together, as two ropes, with cross turns of yarn, marline, etc.
- (structural engineering) Tending to shear a structure (that is, force it to move in different directions at different points).
Post-and-lintel construction racks easily.
Verb
- To stretch a person's joints.
Verb
- To drive; move; go forward rapidly; stir
- To fly, as vapour or broken clouds
Verb
- To clarify, and thereby deter further fermentation of, beer, wine or cider by draining or siphoning it from the dregs.
Verb
- (of a horse) To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace.
Noun
- Remnant from a shipwreck as washed ashore, or the right to claim such items.
- Any marine vegetation cast up on shore, especially seaweed of the genus Fucus.
Verb
- To wreck, especially a ship (usually in passive).
Synonyms of Wrack
Wrack synonyms and antonyms →Wrack in a Sentence
Post-and-lintel construction racks easily.
Word Forms & Grammar
wrack (plural wracks)
wrack (third-person singular simple present wracks, present participle wracking, simple past and past participle wracked)
wrack (countable and uncountable, plural wracks)
wrack (third-person singular simple present wracks, present participle wracking, simple past and past participle wracked or wrackt)
Words That Rhyme With Wrack
Origin of Wrack
Origin 1: From Middle English wrake, wrache, wreche, from a merger of Old English wracu, wræc (“misery, suffering”) and Old English wrǣċ (“vengeance, revenge”). See also wrake.
Origin 2: Late Middle English, from Middle Dutch wrak, ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *wrekaną (“to drive out”), the source of wreak and wreck.[1] Doublet of vraic.
Origin 3: Cognate with German Wrack, Old Norse rek, Danish vrag, Swedish vrak, Old English wræc); also compare Gothic 𐍅𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (wrikan), 𐍅𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (wrakjan, “persecute”), Old Norse reka (“drive”).
Common Questions About Wrack
Is wrack a noun or a verb?
Wrack is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for wrack?
Words with a similar meaning to wrack include rack, wreck and bust up. See the full list of wrack synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of wrack?
The plural of wrack is wracks.
What is the past tense of wrack?
The past tense of wrack is wracked. The present participle is wracking.