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:
The trailer closes out with Galadriel’s haunting words, “We are, all of us, on the path to ruin now,” and Sauron forging the One Ring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I’m so sorry — I don’t want to ruin your two minutes with your beautiful family,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Persistent infections, Anderson said, could "ruin a patient's quality of life" - limiting their ability to work or do something as simple as pick their children up from school.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
“You don’t have to settle for the Sunday scaries. We let Mondays ruin our Sundays. Stop. Be present in your life instead of accepting that default.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 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
The minuscule yet distinctly humanoid figure of a fairy flaps its wings as it flies into the ancient ruins of a bygone kingdom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Most of Gaza is in ruins, with nearly all the 2.1 million population still displaced amid dire humanitarian conditions.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Rubio's visit to the ruins of the Acropolis in Greece was part of his three-country tour of Nato allies that includes stops in Iceland and Portugal.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
He traveled as a private citizen, rather than a politician, reveling in the region’s splendors, its ruins and estates, gardens and canals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Looking around my neighborhood, I half expect it to be in ruins, but everything appears just as it always was, and I realize the wreckage is more internal.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Speaking near the ruined building, Annèyse said: "This is very upsetting. Harming heritage buildings just because you are angry at the government is selfish, I think. It's hurting everybody."
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
His life ruined for a second time, Weirich didn’t dwell on “his own responsibility,” Ms. Hoyer writes, but rebuilt again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out, his 13-year-old career is ruined, just like that,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The drought has ruined pleasure boat tourism, while some question whether the lake will ever return to enduring full health.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
“We might have been crushed into little gooey pancakes, which very well could have ruined tea.”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
A machine that was good for more than just putting down the fish and ruining lakeside wedding videos?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
"But I also felt like I was -- these moments were so odd, and I was the one, like, ruining them or, like, bailing on them," Fielder continued.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Bad things happen when good people stand by and say nothing, even if they are trying to avoid rocking the boat, fear upsetting people or risk ruining a relationship.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
But she constantly worried her choices, from sleep schedules to handling toddler tantrums, were "ruining their lives forever".
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
She’s chewing her lip, ruining that pink lipstick she put on at the last minute.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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