wrack
gb/ɹˈæk/ us/ɹˈæk/
C1
English
gyötör, sújt, roncs, hínár
VERB
C1
1
gyötör
B2
Usage pattern:
be wracked with/by [pain/guilt/doubt]
She was wracked with guilt after the argument.
A veszekedés után gyötörte a bűntudat.
A sharp spasm wracked his back and made him stop walking.
Egy éles görcs hasított a hátába, és megállásra kényszerítette.
He spent the night wracked by doubt about the decision.
Learner examples
He was wracked with pain.
Gyötörte a fájdalom.
She felt wracked with worry.
Gyötörte az aggodalom.
Common mistake:
This meaning is often spelled with rack (e.g., racked with pain, rack your brains). Both spellings occur, but rack is widely preferred for mental/physical torment in many style guides.
Meaning
cause severe pain or distress
Collocations
wracked with pain
|wracked by pain
|wracked with guilt
|wracked by guilt
|wracked by doubt
|wracked with anxiety
|wracked with remorse
|wracked by grief
|wracked by worry
|wracked with fear
Synonyms
torment (Stronger sense of ongoing suffering.)
|
afflict (More formal; often used for illness or problems.)
|
plague (Suggests repeated or persistent trouble.)
Antonyms
comfort (To ease someone’s pain or distress.)
|
soothe (To calm or reduce pain or anxiety.)
Themes
health
|emotions
Definition
To make someone suffer a lot (in body or mind).
To cause someone to suffer extreme physical pain or mental distress.
VERB
C1
2
sújt
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] wracks [place/organization/system]
The earthquake wracked the coastal towns for weeks with aftershocks.
A földrengés hetekig utórengésekkel sújtotta a part menti városokat.
Years of conflict wracked the region and forced thousands to leave.
Évekig tartó konfliktus sújtotta a térséget, és ezreket kényszerített távozásra.
The factory was wracked by repeated fires and finally shut down.
Learner examples
The storm wracked the island.
A vihar sújtotta a szigetet.
The city was wracked by riots.
A várost zavargások sújtották.
Common mistake:
Do not confuse with rack up (earn/collect), which uses rack, not wrack.
Meaning
damage or ruin severely
Collocations
wrack a town
|wrack a region
|wrack the coast
|wrack a country
|wrack an economy
|wracked by violence
|wracked by riots
|wracked by war
|wracked by corruption
|wracked by instability
Synonyms
devastate (Emphasizes widespread destruction.)
|
ravage (Suggests violent or destructive force over time.)
|
wreck (More direct; can sound less formal.)
Antonyms
restore (To bring back to a former, better condition.)
|
rebuild (To construct again after damage.)
Themes
news
|conflict
|disasters
Definition
To damage something very badly.
To cause very great damage to something, especially over a period of time or by repeated violent events.
NOUN
C1
3
roncs
B1
Usage pattern:
the wrack of [ship/plane/building]
Divers explored the wrack just offshore.
A búvárok a part közelében fekvő roncsot kutatták át.
Only the wrack of the old pier remained after the storm.
A vihar után csak a régi móló roncsai maradtak.
They found coins in the wrack of a trading ship.
Learner examples
The wrack was under the water.
A roncs a víz alatt volt.
Common mistake:
Often confused with wreck, which is much more common in everyday English for both the event and the remains.
Meaning
wreckage; remains after destruction
Collocations
ship wrack
|the wrack of a ship
|storm-tossed wrack
|scattered wrack
|floating wrack
|washed-up wrack
|wreck and wrack
|bits of wrack
|the wrack lay
|search the wrack
Synonyms
wreckage (Most common modern term for destroyed remains.)
|
ruins (Usually for buildings/structures, not ships.)
Antonyms
intactness (The state of not being damaged or broken.)
|
wholeness (The state of being complete and unbroken.)
Themes
travel
|sea
|disasters
Definition
The broken pieces left after something is destroyed.
The broken remains of a ship or other structure after it has been destroyed; wreckage.
NOUN
C2
4
hínár
B1
Usage pattern:
[wrack] on [a beach/shore]
After the storm, a thick line of wrack marked the high tide.
A vihar után vastag hínársáv jelezte a dagály nyomát.
The beach smelled strongly of rotting wrack in the heat.
A melegben erősen érződött a parton a rothadó hínár szaga.
Crabs hid under the wrack near the rocks.
Learner examples
There was wrack on the beach.
Hínár volt a parton.
Common mistake:
Not related to rack (a shelf/frame). This is a different word meaning seaweed.
Meaning
seaweed washed up on shore
Collocations
sea wrack
|kelp wrack
|wrack line
|wrack on the beach
|piles of wrack
|washed-up wrack
|rotting wrack
|wrack and shells
|wrack-covered shore
|the smell of wrack
Synonyms
seaweed (General, everyday term.)
|
kelp (A specific type of large seaweed.)
Antonyms
dry land (Opposite environment; not marine plant matter.)
Themes
nature
|sea
Definition
Seaweed on the beach.
Seaweed, especially kelp or other large seaweed, found floating at sea or washed up on a beach.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wrack
IPA
GB/ɹˈæk/
US/ɹˈæk/
Syllables & stress
wrack (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (wrack)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: wrack
- 3rd Person Singular: wracks
- Present Participle: wracking
- Past: wracked
Expressions
go to wrack and ruin
1/ɡˈoʊ tə ɹˈæk ˈænd ɹˈuɪn/
fixed phrase
deteriorate badly over time
To get worse and worse until it is badly damaged.
Examples
- After the factory closed, the whole neighborhood went to wrack and ruin.
- If you leave the roof unfixed, the house will go to wrack and ruin.
- The garden went to wrack and ruin during the long drought.
Learner examples
- The building went to wrack and ruin.
wrack and ruin
1/ɹˈæk ˈænd ɹˈuɪn/
fixed phrase
complete destruction or collapse
A condition of being badly damaged and almost destroyed.
Examples
- The old theater has fallen into wrack and ruin.
- Years of neglect left the building in wrack and ruin.
- Without repairs, the bridge will soon be wrack and ruin.
Learner examples
- The house fell into wrack and ruin.
wrack your brains
1/ɹˈæk jˈʊɹ bɹˈeɪnz/
idiom
think very hard
To try very hard to think of something.
Examples
- I've been wracking my brains trying to remember her name.
- They wracked their brains for a solution, but nothing worked.
- He wracked his brains to figure out where he’d left the keys.
Learner examples
- I wracked my brains for the answer.