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
In 2006, after Hezbollah fighters crossed the border, Israel and Hezbollah fought a vicious thirty-four-day war that left large parts of Lebanon in ruins.
—
Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
In the six months since Oct. 7, Israel has bombarded Gaza and conducted a devastating ground invasion that has left much of the territory in ruins and more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
Israel’s ground and aerial bombardment campaign, begun after the Hamas attack Oct. 7, has wreaked unprecedented damage on the strip, leveling entire apartment buildings and leaving much of the territory in ruins, a moonscape from war.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Israel's offensive, launched after the shock attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, initially focused on northern Gaza, which has been left in ruins.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Two weeks of heavy fighting around al-Shifa left Gaza’s largest medical complex in ruins.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The raid has left much of Al-Shifa in ruins, with some of the walls that remain intact spattered with blood and civilians describing mass arrests.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images Five months of fighting between Israel and Hamas have left much of Hamas-run Gaza in ruins and led to a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
—CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024
In a matter of hours, all that the cell had built lies in ruins.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
In the six months since Oct. 7, Israel has bombarded Gaza and conducted a devastating ground invasion that has left much of the territory in ruins and more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
Israel’s ground and aerial bombardment campaign, begun after the Hamas attack Oct. 7, has wreaked unprecedented damage on the strip, leveling entire apartment buildings and leaving much of the territory in ruins, a moonscape from war.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Israel's offensive, launched after the shock attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, initially focused on northern Gaza, which has been left in ruins.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Two weeks of heavy fighting around al-Shifa left Gaza’s largest medical complex in ruins.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The raid has left much of Al-Shifa in ruins, with some of the walls that remain intact spattered with blood and civilians describing mass arrests.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images Five months of fighting between Israel and Hamas have left much of Hamas-run Gaza in ruins and led to a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
—CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024
In a matter of hours, all that the cell had built lies in ruins.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in ruins.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in ruins
Cite this Entry
“In ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20ruins. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share