ruin

American  

[roo-in] / ˈru ɪn /

noun

1. ruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay.

   We visited the ruins of ancient Greece.

2. a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc.

3. a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition.

   The building fell to ruin.

4. the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything.

   Synonyms:

   wreck, defeat, overthrow, fall

   Antonyms:

   creation, construction

5. the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or the like.

6. something that causes a downfall or destruction; blight.

   Alcohol was his ruin.

7. the downfall of a person; undoing.

   Fate decreed the ruin of Oedipus.

8. a person as the wreck of their former self; ravaged individual.

9. the act of causing destruction or a downfall.

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verb (used with object)

1. to reduce to a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition; devastate.

   Synonyms:

   damage, destroy, demolish

2. to bring (a person, company, etc.) to financial destruction; bankrupt.

3. to damage, spoil, or injure (a thing) irretrievably.

   Not only was the burned stew inedible, but I had absolutely ruined one of my favorite pots.

4. Older Use. to induce (a woman) to surrender her virginity; deflower.

verb (used without object)

1. to fall into decay; fall to pieces.

2. to come to downfall or destruction.

ruin British  

/ ˈruːɪn /

noun

1. destroyed or decayed building or town

2. the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed

3. loss of wealth, position, etc, or something that causes such loss; downfall

4. something that is severely damaged

   his life was a ruin

5. a person who has suffered a downfall, bankruptcy, etc

6. loss of value or usefulness

7. archaic loss of her virginity by a woman outside marriage

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verb

1. (tr) to bring to ruin; destroy

2. (tr) to injure or spoil

   the town has been ruined with tower blocks

3. archaic (intr) to fall into ruins; collapse

ruin Idioms  

1. see rack and ruin.

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Usage

What does ruin mean? Ruin is most commonly used as a verb meaning to destroy or spoil. As a noun, ruin means the remains of a destroyed or decayed place, especially a half-standing building or city. It is most commonly used in the plural, as in ancient ruins. Example: I feel like the once-quiet atmosphere of the ancient ruins has been ruined by the presence of too many tourists and commercial vendors.

Related Words

Ruin, destruction, havoc imply irrevocable and often widespread damage. Destruction may be on a large or small scale ( destruction of tissue, of enemy vessels ); it emphasizes particularly the act of destroying, while ruin and havoc emphasize the resultant state. Ruin, from the verb meaning to fall to pieces, suggests a state of decay or disintegration (or an object in that state) that is apt to be more the result of the natural processes of time and change than of sudden violent activity from without: The house has fallen to ruins. Only in its figurative application is it apt to suggest the result of destruction from without: the ruin of her hopes. Havoc, originally a cry that served as the signal for pillaging, has changed its reference from that of spoliation to devastation, being used particularly of the destruction following in the wake of natural calamities: the havoc wrought by flood and pestilence. Today it is used figuratively to refer to the destruction of hopes and plans: This sudden turn of events played havoc with her carefully laid designs. See spoil.

Other Word Forms

• half-ruined
  adjective
• nonruinable
  adjective
• ruinable
  adjective
• ruiner
  noun
• self-ruin
  noun
• self-ruined
  adjective
• unruinable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ruin

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English noun rueyne, ruyen, from Middle French ruwine, from Latin ruīna “headlong rush, fall, collapse,” equivalent to ruere “to fall” + -īna feminine singular of suffix -īnus; ; verb ultimately derivative of the noun; see -ine ²

Explanation

To ruin means to wreck or destroy. If you're wearing a long dress, make sure your clumsy brother stays away from you. If he steps on it, it'll rip and be ruined. Bad news always ruins your day and a guest's bad behavior can really ruin a party and all your fun! Be careful when adding salt to your food — too much will ruin it. Often you will see ruin used as a noun that means the state of ruin, the action that causes it or the destruction itself. If you are a ruin of your former self, you're in pretty bad shape. Use ruins for the remains of old castles and Roman structures.

Example Sentences

Bamonte was also the bass player in supergroup Love Amongst Ruin, which has released two studio albums.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru follows talented artist Jay, who finds himself down on his luck in New York living out of his car during the pandemic and recovering from Covid.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2023

The album release-date reveal comes shortly after the “One Dance” hitmaker published his first book of poetry, “Titles Ruin Everything: A Stream of Consciousness by Kenza Samir & Aubrey Graham.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2023

The remains of their settlement are still there, and the trail leading up to the site is now known as the Romero Ruin trail.

From Washington Post • Aug. 31, 2022

Ruin met them each time they returned to the mountain.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

• bankrupt
• crush
• decimate
• demolish
• deplete
• exhaust
• impoverish
• injure
• mar
• overwhelm
• raze
• shatter
• spoil
• wipe out
• wrack
• wreck