ruin
Americannoun
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ruins
plural
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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.
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a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc.
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a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition.
The building fell to ruin.
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the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything.
- Antonyms:
- creation, construction
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the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or the like.
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something that causes a downfall or destruction; blight.
Alcohol was his ruin.
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the downfall of a person; undoing.
Fate decreed the ruin of Oedipus.
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a person as the wreck of their former self; ravaged individual.
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the act of causing destruction or a downfall.
verb (used with object)
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ruins,
present (3rd person singular)
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ruined,
past participle, past
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ruining
present participle
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to reduce to a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition; devastate.
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to bring (a person, company, etc.) to financial destruction; bankrupt.
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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.
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Older Use. to induce (a woman) to surrender her virginity; deflower.
verb (used without object)
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ruins,
present (3rd person singular)
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ruined,
past participle, past
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ruining
present participle
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to fall into decay; fall to pieces.
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to come to downfall or destruction.
noun
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destroyed or decayed building or town
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the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed
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loss of wealth, position, etc, or something that causes such loss; downfall
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something that is severely damaged
his life was a ruin
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a person who has suffered a downfall, bankruptcy, etc
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loss of value or usefulness
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archaic loss of her virginity by a woman outside marriage
verb
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(tr) to bring to ruin; destroy
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(tr) to injure or spoil
the town has been ruined with tower blocks
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archaic (intr) to fall into ruins; collapse
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.
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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ruinernoun
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self-ruinnoun
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half-ruinedadjective
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nonruinableadjective
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ruinableadjective
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self-ruinedadjective
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unruinableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ruinsimple
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ruinssimple
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have ruinedperfect
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has ruinedperfect
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am ruiningprogressive
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are ruiningprogressive
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is ruiningprogressive
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have been ruiningperfect progressive
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has been ruiningperfect progressive
Past
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ruinedsimple
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had ruinedperfect
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was ruiningprogressive
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were ruiningprogressive
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had been ruiningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing ruin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Brushing his hand over crackling vine leaves, French winemaker Gregory Guibergia was relieved a wildfire only scorched the edge of his vineyard but he feared its smoke would ruin this year's vintage.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
But “I can’t let a small portion of the pool of our admits ruin all the greatness in the other percentage.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
When Bertha’s down-to-earth sister, Monica, threatens to ruin the overall aesthetic with a dowdy frock, some light sabotage leads Monica to accept Bertha’s previously worn Season 1 gown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
At one point, he accused his former father-in-law, the senator, of continuing “to fund and enable his daughter’s malicious campaign to ruin my life despite his knowledge of her mental health issues.”
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
“You can’t ruin them. They’ve traveled hundreds of years, and through many people to find you. Now, go make them your own.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
In “Empire of Ashes,” he plumbs survivors’ heartbreaking accounts, bringing readers to the rubble of atomic ruins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But critics of the approach say in many cases it encourages self-delusion and ruins families.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Last month, explorers discovered the ruins of the Douglas DC-4 aircraft using an autonomous sonar drone that detected the aircraft's fuselage and tail.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Holding her camera and notebook, archaeologist Micheline Kurdi walked through the ruins to document the site's state and plan the first "quick interventions" to restore it, she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
It was the only way to plant hope among the ruins.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
"You've got spare garments because companies change their logos or they have discontinued items, sometimes a needle breaks in the machine and the logo is ruined and you can't sell it," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Their lives were at risk of being ruined or lost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
"The season is completely ruined, it's practically non-existent," he told AFP from Simeiz, a beachside community of around 2,500 people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
On ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay and Slate tech editor Tony Ho Tran break down the digital do’s and don’ts for couples, and argue that the thing that ruined dating might actually be making relationships better.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Fire-blackened woods, the gaunt ribs of a church standing over a ruined village.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
All summer long, NBA players have sounded the alarm on a financial system they say is ruining their sport.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
And finally, they talk about why weather apps are ruining our summer fun.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
MLB fans like to complain the Dodgers are ruining baseball, but many other teams could have met the price the Dodgers paid to acquire Tarik Skubal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Around 220,000 people have been evacuated in the region, with 45 campsites forced to shut, ruining the holiday plans of around 40,000 people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Er, yes,” I said, afraid to say otherwise and risk ruining my cover.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
