1
as in bankrupting
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
after he was ruined by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the industrialist was forced to sell his mansion and start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wrecking
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a huge fire that ruined an entire city block
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ruining
Monday’s game offered yet another example of how the team that supposedly is ruining baseball is fattening the wallets of the league’s other 29 teams.
—
Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Your couch has a fabric cleaning code — usually printed on a tag tucked under the cushions — and ignoring it can mean ruining the upholstery.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
How to Stop Water Erosion There are ways to effectively stop water erosion from ruining your yard and landscaping.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
And thanks to their merino wool blend—helpful for moisture control and odor resistance—I did’t have to worry about ruining good shoes with gross foot sweat.
—Christa Sgobba, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2026
The young Wolverines had already taken their leave with figurative Texas tread marks ruining their silky white, maize and blue uniforms.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
To figure out its mechanism, Julius’s team had to somehow extract it from cells without ruining the very properties the researchers were trying to understand.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2026
Now, months later, residents say the gunfire has shattered their peace, ruining quiet strolls and sunsets on the neighborhood’s lakes.
—Christopher Spata, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Your couch has a fabric cleaning code — usually printed on a tag tucked under the cushions — and ignoring it can mean ruining the upholstery.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
How to Stop Water Erosion There are ways to effectively stop water erosion from ruining your yard and landscaping.
—Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 5 Apr. 2026
And thanks to their merino wool blend—helpful for moisture control and odor resistance—I did’t have to worry about ruining good shoes with gross foot sweat.
—Christa Sgobba, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2026
The young Wolverines had already taken their leave with figurative Texas tread marks ruining their silky white, maize and blue uniforms.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026
To figure out its mechanism, Julius’s team had to somehow extract it from cells without ruining the very properties the researchers were trying to understand.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2026
Now, months later, residents say the gunfire has shattered their peace, ruining quiet strolls and sunsets on the neighborhood’s lakes.
—Christopher Spata, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruining
Verb
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Analyses show the experiment succeeded at expanding access and controlling costs without bankrupting health systems or pharmaceutical firms.—
Michael Rose,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
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But the question of how to get landlords to deliver this housing without bankrupting their buildings matters just as much.—
Michael Powell,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Neighbors like Vetsch off Marion Road are convinced that's what hit their neighborhood, destroying multiple homes.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Voting out the party that has been destroying our country must be our only focus.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The tornado left a trail of damage in Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday night, wrecking an RV park, toppling power lines, leveling homes and destroying a storage facility near West 255th Street.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
16 Apr. 2026
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Then the game-wrecking interior defensive lineman had a down year coming off surgery for a dislocated elbow.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Taiwanese friends have told me that the tariffs are ravaging their businesses.—
Michelle Kuo,
The Dial,
14 Apr. 2026
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While the war is ravaging many parts of the Middle East, upending daily life in countries in that region, the effects in the United States are mostly economic so far.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Thiel says 200 workers spent Saturday demolishing the stair tower and elevator shaft, and then the focus shifts to the rest of the building.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The musician and fashion mogul began the process of demolishing the architectural gem, completely stripping its electricity, plumbing, bathrooms, and windows.—
India Roby,
Architectural Digest,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The annual rains have been failing over the past several years, interrupted in 2023 by devastating flooding.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
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But his professional success masks a series of devastating personal tragedies.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has gone far toward shattering what’s left of America’s global stature.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
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The auction comes just weeks after David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster sold for a record-shattering $14,550,000.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In footage shared by the BBC on X, Medvedev, who suffered a 6-0 6-0 loss during the 49-minute match, was filmed smashing up his tennis racket six times and angrily tossing it across the court.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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At the nearly 17-mile-long circular particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that sits deep below the French Alps, CERN scientists recreated the quark-gluon plasma by smashing together atomic nuclei of iron at near-light speed.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruining. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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