ruin

1 of 2

verb

ru·​in ˈrü-ən 

-ˌin;

ˈrün 

ruined ˈrü-ənd 

-ˌind;

ˈründ

 

dialectal

ˈrü-ənt 

-ˌint;

ˈrünt

; ruining; ruins

transitive verb

1

a

: to damage irreparably

crops ruined by hail

Moths ruined the sweater.

b

: bankrupt, impoverish

ruined by stock speculation

c

: to cause to lose respect, honor, social status, etc.

The scandal ruined the mayor.

2

: to subject to frustration, failure, or disaster

will ruin your chances of promotion

3

: to reduce to ruins : devastate

a ruined city

intransitive verb

: to become ruined

ruiner noun

ruin

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the state of being ruined

—archaic except in plural

the city lay in ruins

b

: the remains of something destroyed

—usually plural

the ruins of an ancient temple

the ruins of his life

2

: a ruined building, person, or object

The castle is now a ruin.

3

a

: the action of destroying, laying waste, or wrecking

The enemy's ruin of the city.

b

: damage, injury

The ruin caused by neglect cannot be easily undone.

4

a

: physical, moral, economic, or social collapse

Loss of the family farm led to their ruin.

b

archaic : a falling down : collapse

… from age to age … the crash of ruin fitfully resounds …

—William Wordsworth

5

: a cause of destruction

Addiction was her ruin.

Synonyms of ruin

Verb

• bankrupt

Noun

• destruction
• devastation
• havoc
• loss
• extinction
• demolition

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

Verb

Some suburbs battled soil erosion, which ruined rivers and contaminated drinking water. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Seaver also allegedly threatened to start a podcast dedicated to ruining Parton’s image unless he was paid. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2026

Noun

In the war-and-plague story of Volume II, the wartime siege of Constantinople exacerbates the extreme heat and causes the ruin of the city as well as the eventual spread of the epidemic from the battlefields to the wider world. — Eileen Hunt, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026

Victoria Zardoya, Milania’s best friend since childhood, fell on July 26 while exploring historic ruins at Fort Dade on Egmont Key, Florida, and died two days later at age 20. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ruine, from Anglo-French, from Latin ruina, from ruere to rush headlong, fall, collapse

First Known Use

Verb

1572, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4b

Phrases Containing ruin

• go to rack and ruin

Rhymes for ruin

• bruin
• dewan
• siouan

Kids 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 verb

1

: to reduce to ruins

2

a

: to damage beyond repair

b

: bankrupt entry 3

ruiner noun