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:
“It’s a shame, if it’s going to ruin an entire neighborhood,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
The church came under renewed scrutiny in Japan after the 2022 assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, with the suspected gunman blaming the organisation for his family's financial ruin.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
A heroic Leigh Leopards rearguard action saw them ruin Leeds Rhinos' 100% home record in Super League this season and pick up a vital two points in their hunt for a top-six spot.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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
The tortoise cut in with a flat, grating voice: “Did you two need something, or did you just come to ruin my fun?”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
At the scene of the second strike, an AFP correspondent saw the ruins of a devastated villa, with large decorative columns laying on their side next to stairs littered with rubble.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
In Nuwakot, AFP photographers on Tuesday saw people scouring through mud into the rubble of their homes for usable items, some clearing away dirt and stringing up plastic sheeting for shelter in the ruins.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Before firefighters had finished extinguishing the blaze, I found Liliya Velyka, a 28-year-old book blogger, raking through the smouldering ruins, seeing if anything could be saved.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Emilie Lopes and her dog, Viktor, during an insurance adjuster’s visit to the ruins of her house in Le Porge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The ruins of her belongings lay around her, but she didn’t bother to check them.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Influencers have ruined the US Open for actual tennis fans.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
His community struggles to survive a single harvest ruined by floods, and sees "the farmers are getting more and more aged, and the newer generation is not interested in farming."
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
"There's no water in the river so half my crop is completely and utterly ruined."
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
“At first I hated her for doing it,” he says, “but I realized she ruined her own life to set us free.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“You don’t have to do this. Joe and I are going to find the person who really ruined the talent show.”
From "Hopping Mad (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #4)" by Franklin W. Dixon
No wonder so many fans believe the Dodgers are ruining MLB.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Pastry-hunting tourists are ruining this Italian mountain refuge.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
“If they want to apologize for threatening us and ruining perfectly good systems, that’s a good start.”
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 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
He was beginning to think he had been kind of lame yesterday, following her and then ruining her adventure.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
