1
as in bankrupts
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 ravages
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 destroys
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
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruins
Verb
-
Development not only disturbs or destroys the soil, but wipes out habitat.—
Carl R. Gold,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2025 -
First, allowing utilities to own generation destroys the competitive market.—
Mary Beth Tung,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Amy Downs, a 28-year-old bank teller at the time of the attack, spent six hours in the rubble of the federal building before being rescued, and the moment marked a transformation in her life.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Firefighters continued to search the rubble and spray hot spots into Thursday morning.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The lot was activated because of the magnitude of storm debris that had to be removed from the basins.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
For those with patience to keep them free of debris and properly chlorinated (or, more realistically, the funds to hire someone), there’s probably just enough time to close on one of these homes before a mid-season heat wave.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The collapse of the communist regime had left behind unimaginable wreckage: the economy was dead, corruption was everywhere, people's spirits had been utterly crushed.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The oldest survivor of Flight 212, Mihalek was 46 at the time of the crash and helped pull co-pilot Jim Daniels away from the wreckage.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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