in ruins
idiom
: destroyed with some pieces or parts remaining
The building was/lay in ruins.
—sometimes used figurativelyAfter her death, the family was in ruins.
Examples of in ruins in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By the time some 600 firefighters had doused the fire’s final flames, much of Notre Dame, a jewel of Gothic architecture, lay in ruins.
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Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
But inside, the cathedral is bright and clean, without any trace of the devastating disaster that left it in ruins.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024
By the time the war settled into a stalemate around 2019, more than half a million people were killed, millions more displaced or made refugees, and the country was in ruins.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
The war has left much of Gaza in ruins and has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Albert Aji, Chicago Tribune, 14 Nov. 2024
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Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024
But inside, the cathedral is bright and clean, without any trace of the devastating disaster that left it in ruins.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024
By the time the war settled into a stalemate around 2019, more than half a million people were killed, millions more displaced or made refugees, and the country was in ruins.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
The war has left much of Gaza in ruins and has killed over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
—Albert Aji, Chicago Tribune, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for in ruins
Dictionary Entries Near in ruins
Cite this Entry
“In ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20ruins. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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