What does "wreak" mean?
Wreak: To revenge; to avenge. [Archaic] He should wreake him on his foes. Chaucer. Another's wrongs to wreak upon thyself. Spenser. Come wreak his loss, whom bootless ye complain. Fairfax.
Additional senses
- 2.To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; to hurl or drive; as, to wreak vengeance on an enemy. On me let Death wreak all his rage. Milton. Now was the time to be avenged on his old enemy, to wreak a grudge of seventeen years. Macaulay. But gather all thy powers, And wreak them on the verse that thou dost weave. Bryant.
- 3.Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment. [Obs.] Shak. Spenser.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00