carwreck

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A car that has been badly damaged, especially in a crash.

   Grammar: Countable: say a carwreck or the carwreck, and use carwrecks for more than one.

   Patterns

   • a carwreck on the road
   • the carwreck was towed away

   The tow truck lifted the carwreck off the highway.

   We drove past a carwreck and slowed down to look.

   His old truck is basically a carwreck sitting in the yard.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A serious road accident in which vehicles are badly damaged.

   Grammar: Often used with in: people are injured in a carwreck.

   Patterns

   • be in a carwreck
   • survive a carwreck

   Two people were hurt in a carwreck on the bridge last night.

   She walked away from a carwreck without a scratch.

3. 3nouncountablefigurativeinformal

   A person or situation that is a complete failure or disaster.

   Grammar: Figurative and informal; usually singular with a: 'He's a carwreck.'

   Patterns

   • be a carwreck
   • turn into a carwreck

   After the scandal, his career was a carwreck.

   The meeting turned into a carwreck within ten minutes.

Word forms

Common combinations

a carwreck on the highway

A carwreck on the highway blocked two lanes.

be in a carwreck

He was in a carwreck when he was nineteen.

a total carwreck

The front of the van was a total carwreck.

survive a carwreck

Amazingly, the driver survived the carwreck.

look like a carwreck

The kitchen after the party looked like a carwreck.

Synonyms and how they differ

wreck

Wreck is broader and can mean any destroyed object or ship, while carwreck is specifically about a car.

crash

Crash names the event itself; carwreck often names the damaged car you can see afterward.

accident

Accident is neutral and official, while carwreck sounds more vivid and informal.

Word family

wreck noun

Something ruined or destroyed, such as a ship or a building.

wreck verb

To destroy or badly damage something.

wrecked adjective

Badly damaged or destroyed.

wrecker noun

A truck or person that removes damaged vehicles.

Commonly confused: carwreck or carriage? carwreck or crash?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “carwreck”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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