shipwreck

views updated May 23 2018

ship·wreck / ˈshipˌrek/ • n. the destruction of a ship at sea by sinking or breaking up, e.g., in a storm or after running aground. ∎  a ship so destroyed: the detritus of a forgotten shipwreck in an Arctic sea.• v. (be shipwrecked) (of a person or ship) suffer a shipwreck: he was shipwrecked off the coast of Sardinia and nearly drowned | fig. her right to a fair trial might be shipwrecked by prosecutorial misconduct.

Shipwreck

views updated Jun 08 2018

587. Shipwreck

  1. Spens, Sir Patrick sets sail in a deadly storm, his ship founders, and he is drowned with his crew. [Scot. Balladry: Sir Patrick Spens in Benét, 935]
  2. Tempest, The ship bearing the King of Naples and his company is wrecked near Prosperos island. [Br. Drama: Shakespeare The Tempest ]

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