in ruins
idiom
: destroyed with some pieces or parts remaining
The building was/lay in ruins.
—sometimes used figurativelyAfter her death, the family was in ruins.
Examples of in ruins in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed around 58,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, leaving much of the territory in ruins.
—
Hussam Al-Masri, USA Today, 19 July 2025
The fighting has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting.
—Bassem Mroue, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
These pro-Palestine voices seem oblivious of the fact that the Palestinian national project for independence and statehood is in ruins, thanks in large part to Iranian influence.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025
Israel responded with an invasion of the Palestinian enclave to root out Hamas from tunnels and other fortifications that has left over 55,000 people dead, much of Gaza in ruins and its population of 2.1 million at risk of famine, according to the World Health Organization.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 24 June 2025
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Hussam Al-Masri, USA Today, 19 July 2025
The fighting has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting.
—Bassem Mroue, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2025
These pro-Palestine voices seem oblivious of the fact that the Palestinian national project for independence and statehood is in ruins, thanks in large part to Iranian influence.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025
Israel responded with an invasion of the Palestinian enclave to root out Hamas from tunnels and other fortifications that has left over 55,000 people dead, much of Gaza in ruins and its population of 2.1 million at risk of famine, according to the World Health Organization.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for in ruins
Cite this Entry
“In ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20ruins. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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