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

And while that was somewhat true, the film is refreshingly dotted with humor that could have ruined the seriousness of the situation at hand and instead makes these ominous, serious and devout Catholic figureheads feel like real, complicated humans, which only adds to the nuance of the film. —Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 24 Oct. 2024

But not the party atmosphere of today, with some people drinking too much and some obnoxious people ruining it for the majority. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024

Noun

The fort’s ruins have also revealed several mosaics, some of which have been moved to a local museum for restoration. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024

Failure to adhere to the latest AI regulations risks legal penalties, reputational damage, operational shutdowns and financial ruin. 7. —Rehan Jalil, Forbes, 5 Nov. 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