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
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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
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Recent Examples of ruins
Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
One drop of red dye ruins the whole thing.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
And as per usual, a man ruins everything.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
For more history, the Maya ruins all over the area never fail to surprise, but Tulum remains singular with the only major Mayan site built dramatically atop seaside cliff.
—Gina Góngora, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2026
Eventually, extensive bombing and the Soviet army reduced the Königsberg Castle to ruins, and the original Amber Room was never recovered.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Mar. 2026
In games that matter, one bad inning — one weak link on the chain — ruins a whole game.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
There’s, in fact, a lot of narrative chaos in the movie’s last third, from a pyramid scheme that ruins Junyang’s professional ego to the fact that Lydia, once she’s given birth, is basically cut out of the picture.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026
When fans see an exciting big hit, thinking about how the players might not know their own family members in 30 years ruins the fun.
—Eleanor M. Perfetto, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Something of an oxymoron for a city whose reputation is built on ruins.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
An excavation at the City of David, of ruins dating back 3,800 years.
—Seth Doane, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
By 1944, when much of the city lay in ruins, the terror spread.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 1 Apr. 2026
Here, visitors can eat fresh fish and enjoy the sights, including the ruins of a Byzantine-period castle.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2026
During his visit, Willick had gone to the site of the attack and surveyed the ruins, which were strewn with children’s drawings and broken crayons.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
With Walker Monfort in charge, president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes have been entrusted to excavate the Rockies from the ruins.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
The ruins of Fort Bowie remain and are a historical site.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Jeff then immediately ruins the stakes-building tension by launching into an interminable Applebee’s ad.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
One drop of red dye ruins the whole thing.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
And as per usual, a man ruins everything.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
For more history, the Maya ruins all over the area never fail to surprise, but Tulum remains singular with the only major Mayan site built dramatically atop seaside cliff.
—Gina Góngora, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2026
Eventually, extensive bombing and the Soviet army reduced the Königsberg Castle to ruins, and the original Amber Room was never recovered.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Mar. 2026
In games that matter, one bad inning — one weak link on the chain — ruins a whole game.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
There’s, in fact, a lot of narrative chaos in the movie’s last third, from a pyramid scheme that ruins Junyang’s professional ego to the fact that Lydia, once she’s given birth, is basically cut out of the picture.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026
When fans see an exciting big hit, thinking about how the players might not know their own family members in 30 years ruins the fun.
—Eleanor M. Perfetto, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
Ethiopia is home to 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites — including churches, parks and ancient ruins.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Something of an oxymoron for a city whose reputation is built on ruins.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
An excavation at the City of David, of ruins dating back 3,800 years.
—Seth Doane, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
By 1944, when much of the city lay in ruins, the terror spread.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 1 Apr. 2026
Here, visitors can eat fresh fish and enjoy the sights, including the ruins of a Byzantine-period castle.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2026
During his visit, Willick had gone to the site of the attack and surveyed the ruins, which were strewn with children’s drawings and broken crayons.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
With Walker Monfort in charge, president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes have been entrusted to excavate the Rockies from the ruins.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
The ruins of Fort Bowie remain and are a historical site.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruins
Verb
-
Greenhouses provide protection from scourges like tomato blight, which ravages otherwise beautiful crops in areas with cool, rainy weather.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Over time, toxins accumulate, and the genetic disorder ravages children’s organs, including their heart — and in many cases, their brain, leading to dementia-like symptoms.—
Elizabeth Chuck,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rototilling also destroys earthworms and the critical beneficial microbes that interact with plant roots to keep them healthy.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Because scarring alopecia destroys the hair follicles, the resulting hair loss is permanent.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On Saturday morning, piles of bricks and mud were all that were left, along with blankets, cooking utensils and other personal belongings salvaged from the rubble and set into a pile.—
Elena Becatoros,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Tangled pieces of barbed wire, reams of rubble and fallen concrete scarred the skyline in Karaj, western Iran, on Friday, after the US military bombed a major new bridge under construction.—
Leila Gharagozlou,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kyiv residents endure long daily blackouts as Russia devastates the power system, leaving tower block dwellers freezing in apartments with no heat or light.—
Derek Gatopoulos,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Exacerbating the problem, unpredictable rainfall cycling between drought and floods further devastates the region.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The change launches biannual arguments about the practice, wrecks havoc on sleep and has inspired voters to go to California polls.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In a film like this, you’re ostensibly meant to root against the terror that the central characters wrecks on his victims.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
One social media video taken from along a highway near the barracks showed the aftermath of the strike, with pieces of fiery debris scattered along the mountain range housing the barracks.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Iranian officials told civilians to be on the lookout for survivors and have flooded social media with images that purport to show wreckage from the aircraft.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The vehicle smashed through barricades and concrete, racing down a hallway before becoming lodged in the twisted wreckage.—
Gayle Pearlstein,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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