Definition of 'wreak'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present
tense wreaks
, present participle wreaking
, past tense, past participle wreaked
language note: The form wrought can also be used as the past participle.
1. verb
[journalism, literary]
Violent storms wreaked havoc on the French Riviera, leaving three dead and dozens
injured. [VERB noun]
2. verb
3. See also wrought
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
wreak in British English
verb (transitive)
▶ USAGE See note at wrought3. archaic
to take vengeance for
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
wreaker (ˈwreaker) noun
Word origin
Old English wrecan; related to Old Frisian wreka, Old High German rehhan (German rächen), Old Norse reka, Latin urgēre to push
Word Frequency
wreak in American English
verb transitive
2.
to inflict (vengeance), cause (harm or havoc), etc.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
wreaker (ˈwreaker)
noun
Word origin
ME wreken < OE wrecan, to revenge, punish, akin to Ger rächen, Goth wrikan < IE base *wreg-, to shove, oppress, hunt down, L urgere, to press, urgeExamples of 'wreak' in a sentence
wreak
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In other languages
wreak
British English: wreak
VERB /riːk/
Something or someone that wreaks havoc or destruction causes a great amount of disorder or damage.
Violent storms wreaked havoc on the coast, leaving dozens injured.
- American English: wreak /ˈrik/
- Brazilian Portuguese: causar
- Chinese: 造成 混乱或严重破坏
- European Spanish: causar
- French: causer
- German: anrichten
- Italian: seminare rovina, distruzione
- Japanese: もたらす大惨事や破壊を
- Korean: 입히다피해 등을
- European Portuguese: causar
- Latin American Spanish: causar
- Thai: ก่อให้เกิด (ความเสียหาย)
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Definition of wreak from the Collins English Dictionary
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