catch wreck

verb

To gain respect.

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Meanings

verbcatch wreck (third-person singular simple present catches wreck, present participle catching wreck, simple past and past participle caught wreck)

present singular third person catches wreck · participle present catching wreck · participle past caught wreck · past caught wreck

  1. African-American VernacularTo gain respect.

    They said it was some girls and boys from the Perry's who came through and caught wreck with the Downtown boys and they girls.

    2016, Tamara Ebo, Tears of Purpose

Origin

From catch + recognition where the word recognition is abbreviated and re-spelled according to eye dialect as wreck.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

catch wreck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20wreck

MLA

“catch wreck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20wreck. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “catch wreck,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20wreck.

Source: catch wreck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.