See wreak in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0",
"word": "wreak havoc"
}
],
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "wreken"
},
"expansion": "Middle English wreken",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wrecan"
},
"expansion": "Old English wrecan",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*wrekan"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wrekan",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*wrekaną"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wrekaną",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*wreg-",
"t": "push, shove, drive, track down"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“push, shove, drive, track down”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "wreken"
},
"expansion": "Dutch wreken",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "rächen"
},
"expansion": "German rächen",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "sv",
"2": "vräka"
},
"expansion": "Swedish vräka",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "urgeō",
"3": "urgēre"
},
"expansion": "Latin urgēre",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "urge"
},
"expansion": "English urge",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "wreck"
},
"expansion": "English wreck",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English wreken, from Old English wrecan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrekan, from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“push, shove, drive, track down”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Dutch wreken, German rächen, Swedish vräka; cognate via PIE with Latin urgēre (English urge), and distantly cognate with English wreck.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "wreaks",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "wreaking",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "wreaked",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wrought",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wroke",
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wreaked",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wrought",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wroken",
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"past2": "wrought",
"past3": "wroke",
"past3_qual": "obsolete",
"past_ptc2": "wrought",
"past_ptc3": "wroken",
"past_ptc3_qual": "obsolete"
},
"expansion": "wreak (third-person singular simple present wreaks, present participle wreaking, simple past wreaked or wrought or (obsolete) wroke, past participle wreaked or wrought or (obsolete) wroken)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "3 14 35 22 21 1 4",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "46 15 28 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "5 7 42 21 20 1 4",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
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},
{
"_dis": "4 7 45 21 19 1 3",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 14 21 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "63 11 20 3 3",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Danish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 14 21 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
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"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 14 21 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "49 13 15 4 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "51 15 17 7 11",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Polish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 16 19 5 7",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 14 21 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "53 16 19 5 7",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "56 15 19 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 16 19 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "54 14 21 5 6",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The earthquake wreaked havoc in the city.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "She wreaked her anger on his car.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1960 December, “Talking of Trains: The railways and the Devon floods”, in Trains Illustrated, page 709:",
"text": "On the Saturday, October 1, the torrential rains began to wreak damage east of Exeter.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020 December 2, Philip Haigh, “A winter of discontent caused by threat of union action”, in Rail, page 62:",
"text": "Against a backdrop of economic devastation wreaked by COVID-19, from which the railway has been almost totally insulated by massive sums of public money, the RMT rail union is now calling for industrial action as a pay freeze beckons.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-verb--JDRKB1~",
"links": [
[
"cause",
"cause"
],
[
"afflict",
"afflict"
],
[
"inflict",
"inflict"
],
[
"harm",
"harm"
],
[
"injure",
"injure"
],
[
"let out",
"let out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zàochéng",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "造成"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "volde"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"note": "of havoc",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "aiheuttaa"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"note": "of anger",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "kohdistaa"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "verursachen"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "auslassen"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "anrichten"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "siać (spustoszenie)"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "wyładowywać (gniew)"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "wyładować (gniew)"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "a cauza"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "provoca"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "vărsa nervii"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "nanosítʹ",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "наноси́ть"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pričinjátʹ",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "причиня́ть"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "nanijeti"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "počiniti"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "provocar"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "infligir"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "volcar"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "vålla"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "almak"
},
{
"_dis1": "90 2 6 0 2",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "çıkarmak"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The police abused their authority to wreak an innocent.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "The criminal has been wreaked by the Judge to spend a year in prison.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1841, Thomas Macaulay, Warren Hastings:",
"text": "Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-verb-3IUF~Ozu",
"links": [
[
"chasten",
"chasten"
],
[
"chastise",
"chastise"
],
[
"chastize",
"chastize"
],
[
"castigate",
"castigate"
],
[
"punish",
"punish"
],
[
"smite",
"smite"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night:",
"text": "their woe / Broods maddening inwardly and scorns to wreak / Itself abroad;",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1874, Alfred Tennyson, “Gareth and Lynette”, in Idylls of the King (The Works of Alfred Tennyson; V), cabinet edition, London: Henry S. King & Co., […], →OCLC, page 51:",
"text": "So tho' I scarce can ask it thee for hate, / Grant me some knight to do the battle for me, / Kill the foul thief, and wreak me for my son.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Love-making on Mars”, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., 1917 October, →OCLC, page 135:",
"text": "At heart they hate their horrid fates, and so wreak their poor spite on me who stand for everything they have not, and for all they most crave and never can attain.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To inflict or take vengeance on."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-verb-2yLoCp1M",
"links": [
[
"vengeance",
"vengeance"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic) To inflict or take vengeance on."
],
"tags": [
"archaic"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:",
"text": "Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To take vengeance for."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-verb-BA0EoKva",
"links": [
[
"vengeance",
"vengeance"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic) To take vengeance for."
],
"tags": [
"archaic"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "otmǎštavam si",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "отмъщавам си"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "kurittaa"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "rächen"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "pomścić"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "mstitʹ",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "мстить"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "vengarse de"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "hınç almak"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "hınç çıkarmak"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "öç almak"
},
{
"_dis1": "1 0 39 59 1",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "intikam almak"
}
]
},
{
"alt_of": [
{
"word": "reek"
}
],
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2007, Bruce Morse, Forgive Myself:",
"text": "She wreaked of liquor. She also wreaked of anger, despair and unsatisfied sexuality, all mixed together.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Misspelling of reek."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-verb-9fYRpLNm",
"links": [
[
"reek",
"reek#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) Misspelling of reek."
],
"tags": [
"alt-of",
"intransitive",
"misspelling"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"enpr": "rēk",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹiːk/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹik/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-wreak.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg/En-us-wreak.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-iːk"
},
{
"homophone": "reek"
}
],
"word": "wreak"
}
{
"etymology_number": 2,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "wreke"
},
"expansion": "Middle English wreke",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "wraak"
},
"expansion": "Dutch wraak",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English wreke, wrake, Northern Middle English variants of wreche, influenced later by Etymology 1, above. Compare Dutch wraak.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "wreaks",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "wreak (plural wreaks)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:",
"text": "VVhat barbarous mindes for grieuance more than needs,\nVnnaturallie ſeeks wreake vpon their Lord,\nTheir true annointed Prince, their lawfull king:",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1901, “The History of King Omar Ben Ennuman and His Sons Sherkan and Zoulmekan”, in John Payne, transl., The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, volume 2:",
"text": "Would that before my death I might but see my son The empery in my stead over the people hold\nAnd rush upon his foes and take on them his wreak, At push of sword and pike, in fury uncontrolled.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1903, George Chapman, Richard Herne Shepherd, Algernon Charles Swinburne, The Works of George Chapman:",
"text": "However, no thought touch'd Minerva's mind, That any one should escape his wreak design'd.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2003, John Foxe, John Cumming, Book of Martyrs and the Acts and Monuments of the Church:",
"text": "For three causes Duke William entered this land to subdue Harold. One was, for that it was to him given by King Edward his nephew. The second was, to take wreak for the cruel murder of his nephew Alfred, King Edward's brother, and of the Normans, which deed he ascribed chiefly to Harold.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-noun-X-8ACiql",
"links": [
[
"Revenge",
"revenge"
],
[
"vengeance",
"vengeance"
],
[
"passion",
"passion"
],
[
"resentment",
"resentment"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic, literary) Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment."
],
"tags": [
"archaic",
"literary"
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1885, “The Tale of the Three Apples”, in Sir Richard Burton, transl., The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume 1:",
"text": "Of a surety none murdered the damsel but I; take her wreak on me this moment; for, an thou do not thus, I will require it of thee before Almighty Allah.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Punishment; retribution; payback."
],
"id": "en-wreak-en-noun-rEwVdzc9",
"links": [
[
"Punishment",
"punishment"
],
[
"retribution",
"retribution"
],
[
"payback",
"payback"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic, literary) Punishment; retribution; payback."
],
"tags": [
"archaic",
"literary"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"enpr": "rēk",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹiːk/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹik/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-wreak.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg/En-us-wreak.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-iːk"
},
{
"homophone": "reek"
}
],
"word": "wreak"
}
{
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"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English irregular verbs",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms derived from Old English",
"English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
"English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
"English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
"English terms inherited from Middle English",
"English terms inherited from Old English",
"English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
"English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
"English terms with homophones",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Rhymes:English/iːk",
"Rhymes:English/iːk/1 syllable",
"Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"Terms with Danish translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Mandarin translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Romanian translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Turkish translations"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "wreak havoc"
}
],
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "wreken"
},
"expansion": "Middle English wreken",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "wrecan"
},
"expansion": "Old English wrecan",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*wrekan"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wrekan",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*wrekaną"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wrekaną",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*wreg-",
"t": "push, shove, drive, track down"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“push, shove, drive, track down”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "wreken"
},
"expansion": "Dutch wreken",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "rächen"
},
"expansion": "German rächen",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "sv",
"2": "vräka"
},
"expansion": "Swedish vräka",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "urgeō",
"3": "urgēre"
},
"expansion": "Latin urgēre",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "urge"
},
"expansion": "English urge",
"name": "cog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "wreck"
},
"expansion": "English wreck",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English wreken, from Old English wrecan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrekan, from Proto-Germanic *wrekaną, from Proto-Indo-European *wreg- (“push, shove, drive, track down”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Dutch wreken, German rächen, Swedish vräka; cognate via PIE with Latin urgēre (English urge), and distantly cognate with English wreck.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "wreaks",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "wreaking",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "wreaked",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wrought",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wroke",
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wreaked",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wrought",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "wroken",
"tags": [
"obsolete",
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"past2": "wrought",
"past3": "wroke",
"past3_qual": "obsolete",
"past_ptc2": "wrought",
"past_ptc3": "wroken",
"past_ptc3_qual": "obsolete"
},
"expansion": "wreak (third-person singular simple present wreaks, present participle wreaking, simple past wreaked or wrought or (obsolete) wroke, past participle wreaked or wrought or (obsolete) wroken)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The earthquake wreaked havoc in the city.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "She wreaked her anger on his car.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1960 December, “Talking of Trains: The railways and the Devon floods”, in Trains Illustrated, page 709:",
"text": "On the Saturday, October 1, the torrential rains began to wreak damage east of Exeter.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2020 December 2, Philip Haigh, “A winter of discontent caused by threat of union action”, in Rail, page 62:",
"text": "Against a backdrop of economic devastation wreaked by COVID-19, from which the railway has been almost totally insulated by massive sums of public money, the RMT rail union is now calling for industrial action as a pay freeze beckons.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm."
],
"links": [
[
"cause",
"cause"
],
[
"afflict",
"afflict"
],
[
"inflict",
"inflict"
],
[
"harm",
"harm"
],
[
"injure",
"injure"
],
[
"let out",
"let out"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To cause harm; to afflict; to inflict; to harm or injure; to let out harm."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples",
"English transitive verbs",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The police abused their authority to wreak an innocent.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "The criminal has been wreaked by the Judge to spend a year in prison.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "1841, Thomas Macaulay, Warren Hastings:",
"text": "Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite."
],
"links": [
[
"chasten",
"chasten"
],
[
"chastise",
"chastise"
],
[
"chastize",
"chastize"
],
[
"castigate",
"castigate"
],
[
"punish",
"punish"
],
[
"smite",
"smite"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(transitive) To chasten, or chastise/chastize, or castigate, or punish, or smite."
],
"tags": [
"transitive"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1874, James Thomson, The City of Dreadful Night:",
"text": "their woe / Broods maddening inwardly and scorns to wreak / Itself abroad;",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1874, Alfred Tennyson, “Gareth and Lynette”, in Idylls of the King (The Works of Alfred Tennyson; V), cabinet edition, London: Henry S. King & Co., […], →OCLC, page 51:",
"text": "So tho' I scarce can ask it thee for hate, / Grant me some knight to do the battle for me, / Kill the foul thief, and wreak me for my son.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Love-making on Mars”, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., 1917 October, →OCLC, page 135:",
"text": "At heart they hate their horrid fates, and so wreak their poor spite on me who stand for everything they have not, and for all they most crave and never can attain.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To inflict or take vengeance on."
],
"links": [
[
"vengeance",
"vengeance"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic) To inflict or take vengeance on."
],
"tags": [
"archaic"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1600, [Torquato Tasso], “(please specify |book=1 to 20)”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC:",
"text": "Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To take vengeance for."
],
"links": [
[
"vengeance",
"vengeance"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic) To take vengeance for."
],
"tags": [
"archaic"
]
},
{
"alt_of": [
{
"word": "reek"
}
],
"categories": [
"English intransitive verbs",
"English misspellings",
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2007, Bruce Morse, Forgive Myself:",
"text": "She wreaked of liquor. She also wreaked of anger, despair and unsatisfied sexuality, all mixed together.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Misspelling of reek."
],
"links": [
[
"reek",
"reek#English"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(intransitive) Misspelling of reek."
],
"tags": [
"alt-of",
"intransitive",
"misspelling"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"enpr": "rēk",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹiːk/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹik/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-wreak.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg/En-us-wreak.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-iːk"
},
{
"homophone": "reek"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "zàochéng",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "造成"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "volde"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"note": "of havoc",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "aiheuttaa"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"note": "of anger",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "kohdistaa"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "verursachen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "auslassen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "anrichten"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "siać (spustoszenie)"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "wyładowywać (gniew)"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "wyładować (gniew)"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "a cauza"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "provoca"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "vărsa nervii"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "nanosítʹ",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "наноси́ть"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "pričinjátʹ",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "причиня́ть"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "nanijeti"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "počiniti"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "provocar"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "infligir"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "volcar"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "vålla"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "almak"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to cause or inflict causing injury",
"word": "çıkarmak"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "otmǎštavam si",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "отмъщавам си"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "kurittaa"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "rächen"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "pomścić"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "mstitʹ",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "мстить"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "vengarse de"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "hınç almak"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "hınç çıkarmak"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "öç almak"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "to take vengeance",
"word": "intikam almak"
}
],
"word": "wreak"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English irregular verbs",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms derived from Middle English",
"English terms inherited from Middle English",
"English terms with homophones",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Rhymes:English/iːk",
"Rhymes:English/iːk/1 syllable"
],
"etymology_number": 2,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "wreke"
},
"expansion": "Middle English wreke",
"name": "inh"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "wraak"
},
"expansion": "Dutch wraak",
"name": "cog"
}
],
"etymology_text": "From Middle English wreke, wrake, Northern Middle English variants of wreche, influenced later by Etymology 1, above. Compare Dutch wraak.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "wreaks",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "wreak (plural wreaks)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English literary terms",
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:",
"text": "VVhat barbarous mindes for grieuance more than needs,\nVnnaturallie ſeeks wreake vpon their Lord,\nTheir true annointed Prince, their lawfull king:",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1901, “The History of King Omar Ben Ennuman and His Sons Sherkan and Zoulmekan”, in John Payne, transl., The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, volume 2:",
"text": "Would that before my death I might but see my son The empery in my stead over the people hold\nAnd rush upon his foes and take on them his wreak, At push of sword and pike, in fury uncontrolled.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1903, George Chapman, Richard Herne Shepherd, Algernon Charles Swinburne, The Works of George Chapman:",
"text": "However, no thought touch'd Minerva's mind, That any one should escape his wreak design'd.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2003, John Foxe, John Cumming, Book of Martyrs and the Acts and Monuments of the Church:",
"text": "For three causes Duke William entered this land to subdue Harold. One was, for that it was to him given by King Edward his nephew. The second was, to take wreak for the cruel murder of his nephew Alfred, King Edward's brother, and of the Normans, which deed he ascribed chiefly to Harold.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment."
],
"links": [
[
"Revenge",
"revenge"
],
[
"vengeance",
"vengeance"
],
[
"passion",
"passion"
],
[
"resentment",
"resentment"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic, literary) Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment."
],
"tags": [
"archaic",
"literary"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English literary terms",
"English terms with archaic senses",
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1885, “The Tale of the Three Apples”, in Sir Richard Burton, transl., The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume 1:",
"text": "Of a surety none murdered the damsel but I; take her wreak on me this moment; for, an thou do not thus, I will require it of thee before Almighty Allah.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Punishment; retribution; payback."
],
"links": [
[
"Punishment",
"punishment"
],
[
"retribution",
"retribution"
],
[
"payback",
"payback"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(archaic, literary) Punishment; retribution; payback."
],
"tags": [
"archaic",
"literary"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"enpr": "rēk",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹiːk/",
"tags": [
"UK"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ɹik/",
"tags": [
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-wreak.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg/En-us-wreak.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-wreak.ogg"
},
{
"rhymes": "-iːk"
},
{
"homophone": "reek"
}
],
"word": "wreak"
}
Download raw JSONL data for wreak meaning in English (15.8kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-11-21 using wiktextract (65a6e81 and 0dbea76). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.