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
: to become ruined
ruiner
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
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
William Wordsworth5
: a cause of destruction
Synonyms
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 WebJennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
These ruins — a rectangular stone building and related artifacts — were left from an agricultural and herding community, which eventually abandoned the site.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Didn’t get the job done today and ruined one of Cole’s great outings.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024
Jodi Marks is joyous and earthy as Nelly, whose unplanned pregnancy could ruin her plans for college and adventure.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Spare me how the ambience was ruined when Mount Davis blocked the view of the Oakland hills.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Your life could be ruined after literally giving your entire life to public service.
—John Leland John Leland, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The American Astronomical Society advises against using any water or liquid glass cleaner to clean the lenses, as this may ruin the cardboard and cause the lenses to detach.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
California won’t experience totality, but there’s still plenty to see.
April 8, 2024
2
Here are some tips for taking photos of Monday’s upcoming solar eclipse without ruining your smartphone.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Just chaos and ruin, with rubble and debris scattered in every single direction.
—The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Imperioli plays the doctor’s brother, Mayor Peter Stockmann—a man who, fearing the town’s economic ruin, plots to turn its residents against the facts.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
The ruins of an ancient fortress were recently discovered on a small island along the west coast of Ireland.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
After years of anti-Muslim pogroms, these issues came to a symbolic head in January, with Modi’s public inauguration of the Ram Mandir, a controversial Hindu temple built atop the ruins of the Babri Masjid, the mosque demolished by Hindu extremists in 1992.
—Siddhant Adlakha, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
But by the time Simon Warrack, a British stonemason with a fascination for ancient ruins, stumbled upon the scene in 2007, all that remained of them were the four feet, still attached to pedestals.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Ukraine’s army of about one million soldiers is fighting the largest war in Europe since World War II, waged in muddy trenches or the ruins of cities in urban combat.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The bust is the latest in a long line of archaeological discoveries within the ruins of Philippi, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northeastern Greece.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
The always-on gadgets that were supposed to make my life easier, more fun, and more productive, now often disrupt my sleep, ruin any semblance of work-life balance, and wipe out my self-esteem.
—Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
These ruins — a rectangular stone building and related artifacts — were left from an agricultural and herding community, which eventually abandoned the site.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Didn’t get the job done today and ruined one of Cole’s great outings.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024
Jodi Marks is joyous and earthy as Nelly, whose unplanned pregnancy could ruin her plans for college and adventure.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Spare me how the ambience was ruined when Mount Davis blocked the view of the Oakland hills.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Your life could be ruined after literally giving your entire life to public service.
—John Leland John Leland, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The American Astronomical Society advises against using any water or liquid glass cleaner to clean the lenses, as this may ruin the cardboard and cause the lenses to detach.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
California won’t experience totality, but there’s still plenty to see.
April 8, 2024
2
Here are some tips for taking photos of Monday’s upcoming solar eclipse without ruining your smartphone.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
Their ruins still stand across the continent: the stone structures of Chaco Canyon, in New Mexico; the complex irrigation systems of the Huhugam, in Arizona; the great mounds of Cahokia and other Mississippian cities on rivers across the eastern half of the United States.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Just chaos and ruin, with rubble and debris scattered in every single direction.
—The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Imperioli plays the doctor’s brother, Mayor Peter Stockmann—a man who, fearing the town’s economic ruin, plots to turn its residents against the facts.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
The ruins of an ancient fortress were recently discovered on a small island along the west coast of Ireland.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
After years of anti-Muslim pogroms, these issues came to a symbolic head in January, with Modi’s public inauguration of the Ram Mandir, a controversial Hindu temple built atop the ruins of the Babri Masjid, the mosque demolished by Hindu extremists in 1992.
—Siddhant Adlakha, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
But by the time Simon Warrack, a British stonemason with a fascination for ancient ruins, stumbled upon the scene in 2007, all that remained of them were the four feet, still attached to pedestals.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Ukraine’s army of about one million soldiers is fighting the largest war in Europe since World War II, waged in muddy trenches or the ruins of cities in urban combat.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The bust is the latest in a long line of archaeological discoveries within the ruins of Philippi, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northeastern Greece.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ruin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ruin
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruin. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 verb1
: to reduce to ruins
2
a
: to damage beyond repair
b
ruiner
noun
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