ruin

1 of 2

verb

ru·​in ˈrü-ən 

-ˌin;

ˈrün

ruined ˈrü-ənd 

-ˌind;

ˈründ,

dialectal

ˈrü-ənt 

-ˌint;

ˈrünt

; ruining; ruins

transitive verb

1

a

: to damage irreparably

b

: bankrupt, impoverish

ruined by stock speculation

2

: to subject to frustration, failure, or disaster

will ruin your chances of promotion

3

: to reduce to ruins : devastate

intransitive verb

: to become ruined

ruiner noun

ruin

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the state of being ruined

—archaic except in plural

the city lay in ruins

b

: the remains of something destroyed

—usually used in plural

the ruins of an ancient temple

the ruins of his life

2

: a ruined building, person, or object

3

a

: the action of destroying, laying waste, or wrecking

b

: damage, injury

4

a

: physical, moral, economic, or social collapse

b

archaic : a falling down : collapse

from age to age … the crash of ruin fitfully resounds

—William Wordsworth

5

: a cause of destruction

Synonyms

Verb

• bankrupt
• break
• bust

Noun

• annihilation
• decimation
• demolishment
• demolition
• desolation
• destruction
• devastation
• extermination
• extinction
• havoc
• loss
• mincemeat
• obliteration
• ruination
• wastage
• wreckage

Examples of ruin in a Sentence

Verb

The bad weather ruined the party.

I ruined the sauce by adding too much garlic.

His low test scores ruined his chances of getting into a good school.

Poor customer service ruined the company's reputation.

He was ruined by debt.

The scandal ruined the mayor.

Noun

The incident led to the ruin of their relationship.

The abandoned town had gone to ruin.

Don't let the house your grandfather built fall into ruin.

The castle is now a ruin.

The drought brought economic ruin to local farmers.

Her drug addiction brought her to the brink of ruin.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Although the name suggests otherwise, the custard should never be allowed to actually boil, which would risk scrambling the eggs and ruining the custard. —Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024

And these aren’t the only holiday hazards that can ruin your festive spirit. —Terri Williams, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024

Noun

Today the city's ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the roof of a ticket office is painted with the shape of a massive blue and white shield. —Lauren Frayer, NPR, 23 Dec. 2024

The ruins of a 19th-century copper mine crown a rocky outcropping at Copper Mine National Park (one of six national parks on the island), overlooking the churning Atlantic Ocean and revealing the most important historic sites on Virgin Gorda. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ruine, from Anglo-French, from Latin ruina, from ruere to rush headlong, fall, collapse

First Known Use

Verb

1572, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4b

Phrases Containing ruin

• go to rack and ruin

Kids Definition

ruin

1 of 2 noun

ru·​in ˈrü-ən 

-ˌin

1

: complete collapse or destruction

2

: the remains of something destroyed

—usually used in plural

the ruins of a city

ruin

2 of 2 verb

1

: to reduce to ruins

2

a

: to damage beyond repair

b

: bankrupt entry 3

ruiner noun