From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwreckagewreck‧age /ˈrekɪdʒ/ ●○○ noun [singular, uncountable] 1 DESTROYthe parts of something such as a plane, ship, or building that are left after it has been destroyed in an accident Firemen managed to pull some survivors from the wreckage.wreckage of Accident investigators will examine the wreckage of the plane.2 SPOILthe parts of someone’s relationships, hopes, or plans that remain after they have been spoiledwreckage of She still hoped to salvage something from the wreckage of her marriage.COLLOCATIONSverbsbe pulled from the wreckageThe driver was pulled from the wreckage of his car.be cut (free) from the wreckageShe had to be cut free from the wreckage by firemen.be trapped in the wreckageHe was trapped in the wreckage for almost seven hours.wreckage is strewn/scattered/spreadThe wreckage was strewn over a large area.sift through wreckage (=carefully look through all the pieces)Crash investigators have been sifting through the wreckage of the plane.examine wreckageForensic experts were yesterday examining the wreckage.survey the wreckage (=look at it)After the explosion, they got cautiously to their feet, surveying the wreckage.recover something from the wreckageThe bodies of two children were recovered from the wreckage.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + wreckageburning/blazing/smoking wreckageHe managed to crawl away from the burning wreckage.mangled/tangled/twisted wreckageRecovery teams continue to clear the tangled wreckage.scattered wreckageThe equipment was used to clear the scattered wreckage of the two trains.aircraft/plane wreckageThe major task is now to remove the aircraft wreckage from the accident site.phrasesa piece of wreckageThe fishermen were left clinging to pieces of wreckage.
Examples from the Corpus
wreckage• Wreckage from the plane was scattered over a large area.• He picked his way around the smoking wreckage of the Chelonian tanks.• Reacher and the gunner disappeared through the thicket of trees between us and the wreckage.• Crews have worked all week clearing away the wreckage.• Traffic was diverted on to the A166 as emergency services cleared the wreckage between Dunnington and Kexby, near York.• He had to be cut from the wreckage of his Ford Focus, which somersaulted when it seemed to catch a siding.• You will then have your crew get out and inspect the wreckage firsthand.• Investigators are looking through pieces of the wreckage for any clues about the crash.• He made two journeys down the path to the wreckage of the car.• Many distorted fragments of meteoritic iron are later dredged up from the area where the wreckage fell.• But he drifts away with the wreckage.From Longman Business Dictionarywreckagewreck‧age /ˈrekɪdʒ/ noun [uncountable] journalism the situation when a business activity, company, system etc fails to succeedCommunism’s economic wreckage was visible even in this small place.the wreckage caused by overbuilding (=building too much) in the Southwest 