1
as in to bankrupt
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 to destroy
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 to devastate
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
1
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
a vicious bombardment that left the building in ruins
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wreck
ruins plural
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in bankruptcy
the inability to pay one's debts
the family faces ruin if the chief breadwinner doesn't find another job very soon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
the politician's eventual ruin would be a sexual indiscretion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ruin
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025
Even if the home had not had previous flooding, the rain bomb almost certainly would have ruined it.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
In the mid-to-late ’70s, when New York was sunk into the torpor of potential economic ruin, the city was fabled in another way.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Verb
The pests can ruin the look of those leaves in short order.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2025
Even if the home had not had previous flooding, the rain bomb almost certainly would have ruined it.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
Police in northern Peru arrested two groups accused of illegally bulldozing and building a house at an archaeological park with 500-year-old ruins.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
In the mid-to-late ’70s, when New York was sunk into the torpor of potential economic ruin, the city was fabled in another way.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
Verb
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Nathan Fielder’s series The Rehearsal — his coping mechanism/social experiment/valiant attempt to bankrupt David Zaslav — premiered its second, six-episode season on April 20.—
Anne Victoria Clark,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Of course, Greg/Gary is an honorable guy who would never bankrupt Belinda to teach her a lesson about greed and blackmail.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
To allow these courts to be destroyed to make pickleball courts is just wrong.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2025
-
Mexican military destroys meth lab 00:28 A sign was nailed to a post at the entrance of the lab.—
Isobel Yeung,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Prince Harry just lost his a legal appeal for his security detailing in the U.K. and the decision devastated him.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
2 May 2025
-
Clyde has said that he’ll be devastated to leave his playoff booth duties behind, and local Knicks supporters who hang on his every word for six months each year are equally bummed at the prospect.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
That's because full destruction of the Iranian program is impossible at this point.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
-
Despite trillions of dollars at stake, forest destruction—and the corporate role in driving it—is still widely treated as a peripheral issue.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Located in shallow waters near Costa Rica’s Cahuita National Park, the wrecks were long thought to belong to pirate ships, according to local legend.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 May 2025
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The driver was taken into custody and booked on a charge of felony vandalism due to the damage caused in the wreck, the outlet reported.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2025
Noun
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Big Lots has secured yet another partner in its comeback campaign, less than a year after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announcing plans to close hundreds of stores.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
Helios and Matheson bought a majority stake in the company in 2017, and the service lowered its price to $9.95 a month, which gradually drove the company to bankruptcy.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2025
Noun
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One of the downfalls Oklahoma City had last year was production from the supporting cast.—
Nick Crain,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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The downfall wasn’t immediate, however, as Louise—like many of Joe’s love interests—wrestled with her own romantic feelings for him before coming to the realization about who Joe really was.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Four months ago, in the weeks after the devastating wildfires that ravaged Pacific Palisades, Roberts received a message from a friend involved with the Palisades Charter High School baseball team, inviting him to speak at one of their preseason practices.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
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Other crags—like Elephant Knob in the Sierras, and parts of Cochiti Mesa, New Mexico—are permanently unclimbable, even decades after the fires ravaged the area.—
Hannah Provost,
Outside Online,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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