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
Relevance
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
The Cowboys are like most NFL teams that roll out a synthetic surface that has a grass feel, and is vastly superior to the old knee-ruining ways of AstroTurf.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
The Dodgers are ruining baseball!
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
The fire, which took place on June 17 had destroyed around half of the first floor of the house, in addition to ruining merchandise, leading the store to close.
—
Velvet Wu,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
Historically, barrels of Madeira spent months crossing tropical oceans aboard ships, and merchants realized that the heat actually improved the wine rather than ruining it.
—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
But be careful to close doors to closets or areas where clothing is to avoid moisture from shower steam ruining your clothes.
—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
The antics each week involved lovable Gilligan ruining a plan to get the gang rescued, but also ogling the bombshell Ginger (Tina Louise) and getting annoyed by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus).
—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Disposable shower caps are a great way to cover muddy, dirty shoes and prevent them from ruining your clean clothes.
—
Aly Walansky,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2026
Two runners scored, ruining Tech ace Nijaree Canady’s shutout.
—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
The Dodgers are ruining baseball!
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
The fire, which took place on June 17 had destroyed around half of the first floor of the house, in addition to ruining merchandise, leading the store to close.
—
Velvet Wu,
Sacbee.com,
15 June 2026
Historically, barrels of Madeira spent months crossing tropical oceans aboard ships, and merchants realized that the heat actually improved the wine rather than ruining it.
—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
But be careful to close doors to closets or areas where clothing is to avoid moisture from shower steam ruining your clothes.
—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
The antics each week involved lovable Gilligan ruining a plan to get the gang rescued, but also ogling the bombshell Ginger (Tina Louise) and getting annoyed by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus).
—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Disposable shower caps are a great way to cover muddy, dirty shoes and prevent them from ruining your clean clothes.
—
Aly Walansky,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2026
Two runners scored, ruining Tech ace Nijaree Canady’s shutout.
—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruining
Verb
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Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.
-
Among its many distinctions, SPLC is known for bankrupting the Ku Klux Klan.
Verb
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That second blaze burned charred 23,500 acres in that community, Malibu and elsewhere, killing 12 people and destroying or damaging more than 7,500 homes and businesses.
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These kinds of old negatives are often stored inside cans and are so fragile they can’t be unrolled without destroying them, Seales says.
Verb
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As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.
-
What is in tandem here is the exuberantly generative possibility of life itself (SCOBY, water) alongside the very synthetic polymers that are literally wrecking life on an individual and systemic level.
Verb
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Temperatures have risen in oceans faster due to climate change, super-charging storms and drought, ravaging coral reefs across the world, and endangering species in tandem with overfishing and industrial pollution.
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And with injuries ravaging Canada’s back line, Sigur has the quality to quickly become an important part of their World Cup.
Verb
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But everyday people expressed their political outrage time and again, throwing rocks at and demolishing the houses of government officials, torching the king’s ships and forts and, eventually, marching to battle.
-
During that 25-day closure, PennDOT crews will be demolishing the existing Commercial Street Bridge and sliding in the new bridge, which has been constructed alongside the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
Verb
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Loss of this support, which is said to cover 25% of the center’s operating costs, would have been devastating both financially and reputationally.
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These giant invasive snakes are devastating the Everglades ecosystem by eating through the native food web without any natural predators to keep them in check.
Verb
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The brand was already the most searched name on Ulta’s site before the line expanded to the retailer’s 1,500-plus doors in February, shattering sales records and becoming the chain’s largest brand launch ever.
-
Ratings from the opening match went through the roof, shattering records.
Verb
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Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital's business district.
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Also in 2007, Spencer was sentenced concurrently to seven years in prison for choking a woman, slamming her head to the ground, and robbing her of her cellphone, and for smashing into a woman's car and ransacking it, prosecutors said.
Cite this Entry
“Ruining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruining. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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