ruins 1 of 2

verb

Definition of ruinsnext
present tense third-person singular of ruin
1
as in bankrupts
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts after he was ruined by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the industrialist was forced to sell his mansion and start all over again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ravages
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of a huge fire that ruined an entire city block

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ruins

2 of 2

noun

plural of ruin
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed the ruins of an abandoned abbey

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruins
  1. destroys
  2. rubble
  3. debris
  4. wreckage
Verb
  • Other points-counterpoints focus on whether pasteurization also destroys vitamins in milk.
    Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 24 Dec. 2024
  • The belief is that pasteurization destroys some of the vitamins and minerals naturally found in milk.
    Julie Scott, MSN, ANP-BC, AOCNP, Verywell Health, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of destroys
Noun
  • Footage of the rubble published by the Russian state news outlet Ria Novosti shows some passengers lying on the ground and others being able to walk away from the debris.
    Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Next to the altar where Isaac delivers sermons is an unusual Nativity scene: For the second Christmas in a row, the baby Jesus is wrapped in a keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf, and nestled on a pile of rubble.
    Raf Sanchez, NBC News, 25 Dec. 2024
Definition of rubble
Noun
  • According to preliminary data, there are no casualties from falling debris.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Though the risk of existing debris interfering with missions is low, researchers keep an eye out for what's called EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) debris and its potential to contaminate soil samples.
    Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of debris
Noun
  • Officials had recovered the flight's data recorders from the wreckage and were releasing information.
    Joohee Cho, ABC News, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Months after the storm, many remain displaced as communities clear thousands of tons of wreckage and begin the long process of rebuilding.
    Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2024
Definition of wreckage
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near ruins

ruinous

ruins

rule

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on ruins

Nglish: Translation of ruins for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of ruins for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Gray' vs. 'Grey': What is the difference?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
tiny woman sitting on a pile of books reading
Little Words, Big Vocabulary Quiz Time to sweat the small stuff.