in ruins
idiom
: destroyed with some pieces or parts remaining
The building was/lay in ruins.
—sometimes used figurativelyAfter her death, the family was in ruins.
Examples of in ruins in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The vegetation on the property was charred and the remaining infrastructure was in ruins.
—
Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 8 May 2025
Videos show the museum in ruins, with piles of rubble and broken artifacts, confirming fears of looting raised in 2023, when satellite images showed trucks of objects leaving the building.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
In May, Israel launched a major operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, leaving large parts in ruins.
—Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2025
Several were in ruins, and were unlikely to ever again receive patients.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in ruins
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Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 8 May 2025
Videos show the museum in ruins, with piles of rubble and broken artifacts, confirming fears of looting raised in 2023, when satellite images showed trucks of objects leaving the building.
—The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
In May, Israel launched a major operation in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, leaving large parts in ruins.
—Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2025
Several were in ruins, and were unlikely to ever again receive patients.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in ruins
Cite this Entry
“In ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20ruins. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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