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
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Trends of
wreak
View usage for:
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)
Browse alphabetically
wreak
Related terms of
wreak
Source
Definition of wreak from the Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
know or no?
Which version is correct?
throne or thrown?
Which version is correct?
flea or flee?
Which version is correct?
groan or grown?
Which version is correct?
idle or idol?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
idol
idle
The crowd cheered as they caught sight of their .
Your score:
Word of the day
blogosphere
In computer technology , the blogosphere or the blogsphere is all the weblogs on the internet, considered collectively.
Latest Word Submissions
A little bird told me… 7 animal idioms
It’s new words time at Collins Dictionary and this month we see the addition of words like fingerling, net zero and emotional support animal. This month, there were a few animal-related additions.
Read more
9 new words added to Collins Dictionary
Here are nine words recently added to Collins English Dictionary online. The words we use reflect the preoccupations of our time, and with the possibility of holidays and travel returning to the agenda, the dictionary welcomes ‘capsule hotel’, ‘tourist tax’, and the American informal shortening ‘vacay’ (from ‘vacation’).
Read more
New Conversations Day
The twelfth of July marks New Conversations Day. If you haven’t heard of it, don’t fret or feel afflicted by FOMO, for this is the first such day – ever.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
road or rode?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
road
rode
There was very little traffic on the .
wear or where?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
wear
where
In the corner was a large armchair which showed signs of .
team or teem?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
team
teem
The failed to qualify for the finals.
sang or sung?
Which version is correct?
cell or sell?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
sell
cell
It's not a good time to at the moment.
Your score: