1
a
: to damage irreparably
b
: bankrupt, impoverish
ruined by stock speculation
2
: to subject to frustration, failure, or disaster
will ruin your chances of promotion
: to become ruined
ruiner
noun
1
a
: the state of being ruined
—archaic except in plural
the city lay in ruins
b
: the remains of something destroyed
—usually used in plural
the ruins of an ancient temple
the ruins of his life
2
: a ruined building, person, or object
4
a
: physical, moral, economic, or social collapse
b
archaic
: a falling down : collapse
from age to age … the crash of ruin fitfully resounds—
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth5
: a cause of destruction
Synonyms
Examples of ruin in a Sentence
Verb
The bad weather ruined the party.
I ruined the sauce by adding too much garlic.
His low test scores ruined his chances of getting into a good school.
Poor customer service ruined the company's reputation.
He was ruined by debt.
The scandal ruined the mayor.
Noun
The incident led to the ruin of their relationship.
The abandoned town had gone to ruin.
Don't let the house your grandfather built fall into ruin.
The castle is now a ruin.
The drought brought economic ruin to local farmers.
Her drug addiction brought her to the brink of ruin.
Recent Examples on the Web
Marc Shoffman, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024
The ground floors of thousands of homes have been ruined.
—Hernán Muñoz and Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Leslie Smith Reeves Faith Matters, arkansasonline.com, 2 Nov. 2024
As their parents unite to battle the dastardly scam which has brought their town to financial ruin, the team is embroiled in a mysterious bank robbery.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruin 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Lobby group Family Business UK said tens of thousands of family-run businesses and farms will be ruined by this change due to lower levels of inheritance tax relief.
—Marc Shoffman, theweek, 6 Nov. 2024
The ground floors of thousands of homes have been ruined.
—Hernán Muñoz and Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
In the middle of a contentious election season, tensions run high as candidates' campaigns paint their opposition in the direst of terms, as though the country will completely fall into ruin if their opponent is elected.
—Leslie Smith Reeves Faith Matters, arkansasonline.com, 2 Nov. 2024
As their parents unite to battle the dastardly scam which has brought their town to financial ruin, the team is embroiled in a mysterious bank robbery.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruin
Dictionary Entries Near ruin
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruin. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ruin
1 of 2 noun
ru·in
ˈrü-ən 
-ˌin
1
: complete collapse or destruction
2
: the remains of something destroyed
—usually used in plural
the ruins of a city
ruin
2 of 2 verb1
: to reduce to ruins
2
a
: to damage beyond repair
b
ruiner
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share