ruin
noun
ruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay.
ruined
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past participleof ruin.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof ruin.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
ruinnounruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay.
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.
Their lives were at risk of being ruined or lost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Soldiers cordoned off the area before using dynamite to blast the first ruined building apart -- a 12-story residential tower that had partially collapsed and was slanting toward the street.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Qualifying was disrupted by a water leak and his race appeared ruined within seconds, but the Mercedes driver fought his way back to seventh to rescue valuable points.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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
“I mean . . . do you think he ruined the timeline, being here? Or maybe we messed it up too?”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
