ruining

verb

present participle of ruin
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

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.
Recent Examples of ruining This allegedly caused the cancellation of school recesses, and also ruining weddings and funerals. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 Tibbetts wants fans to blame outside agitators for ruining the league's momentum. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 High heat can turn liquid glue into a runny consistency, which leads to leaks, potentially ruining your car seats or floor mats. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 9 Aug. 2026 Tarik Skubal did not go into last week expecting to be the latest avatar for the Los Angeles Dodgers ruining baseball. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Shop additional Ilia beauty products below, and don’t fret about the heat ruining your glam. — Jennifer Chan, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026 Floyd is no longer attracted to his wife, has trouble connecting with his teen-age stepson, and owes tens of thousands in taxes—a set of stressors that are ruining his health. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 July 2026 Plus, one of the biggest things that holds people back from DIY is a fear of ruining their home, but that’s virtually impossible with peel-and-stick wallpaper. — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 13 July 2026 Clothes moths are indoor pests notorious for ruining the best threads in any closet. — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruining
  1. bankrupting
  2. destroying
  3. wrecking
  4. ravaging
  5. demolishing
  6. devastating
  7. shattering
  8. smashing
Verb
  • Sometimes the very entities owning these hospitals and nursing homes are purposely bankrupting them, pillaging them of their value to maximize the owners’ profits.
    — Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • At a June forum for county executive candidates, former Legislator Dan Tarwater III said that the lawsuit could cost up to $1 billion in payouts, potentially bankrupting Jackson County.
    — Ilana Arougheti July 23, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of bankrupting
Verb
  • The show was filmed across Northern Ireland, and the weather proved to be brutal, with the rain constantly destroying sets that had to be rebuilt.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The Ukrainian defenders repelled the attack and posted video footage of their kamikaze drone strikes destroying at least seven T-72B3A tanks, including some that carried the Arena-M system, according to Euromaidan Press.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Come for the timeliness, stay for Cap wrecking a bunch of guys in an elevator.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Long-distance backpacking is having a moment, and readers planning a first thru-hike want to know how to prepare without wrecking their body, their gear budget or their trip.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2026
Definition of wrecking
Verb
  • The boy was infected with an ultra-rare amoeba known for ravaging the brain.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Julien De Rosa | Afp | Getty Images Firefighters stand by their vehicle as the battle a forest fire in Saint-Jean-d’Illac, some 30km from Bordeaux, on July 26, 2026 as a wildfire has been ravaging the forest north of the Arcachon Basin (Gironde).
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 27 July 2026
Definition of ravaging
Verb
  • Trump has faced widespread criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for the grand ballroom design.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Despite being identified decades ago, the exact trigger of the joint-demolishing condition is still unclear.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • The ceremony concluded a nearly 20-year struggle that profoundly shaped the latter decades of Caper’s life—a trial marked by devastating grief, institutional rejection, deteriorating health, and extraordinary perseverance.
    — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Major hurricanes can cause wind damage ranging from devastating to catastrophic and significant loss of life from their winds alone.
    — Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastating
Verb
  • In 2018 a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 fan blade snapped, shattering a window and sucking a woman’s head and torso outside of the plane.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Ace protected the three deputies from Bowers but was shot in his left front leg, shattering the bone and tearing an artery that caused massive blood loss.
    — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of shattering
Verb
  • This year, conditions including a record-smashing March heat wave led to a surge in California’s native Culex mosquitoes, the transmitters of West Nile virus.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Democratic turnout in these races is smashing through records — not always to the benefit of the left.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of smashing

Browse Nearby Words

ruing
ruining
ruinous
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Cite this Entry

“Ruining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruining. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ruining for Spanish Speakers

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