ruin 1 of 2

verb

ˈrü-ən How to pronounce ruin (audio)
Definition of ruinnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

ruin

2 of 2

noun

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

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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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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ruin
Verb
Designed for maximum comfort, Pedi Couture’s toe separator sandals are practical and time-saving, ensuring pedicures don't get ruined. — ABC News, 25 July 2026 Shop additional Ilia beauty products below, and don’t fret about the heat ruining your glam. — Jennifer Chan, PEOPLE, 25 July 2026
Noun
Left to the elements, Hashima’s tower blocks have since collapsed into skeletal ruins, their corridors eroded by vegetation and sea spray. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026 This buying frenzy creates uncertainty, which potentially can result in a black swan scenario—an unexpected event that can lead to financial ruin. — David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ruin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruin
  1. bankrupt
  2. destroy
  3. devastate
  4. destruction
  5. wreck
  6. bankruptcy
  7. downfall
  8. ravage
Verb
  • French money underwrote the American Revolution, bankrupting Louis XVI’s government and paving the way for their own revolution within a decade of the end of the American war.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
  • Unless homeowners opt out individually by July 16, more than 200,000 Jackson County households will become part of the lawsuit class seeking a direct one-time refund of overpayments, which some have warned could bankrupt the county.
    — Ilana Arougheti July 7, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2026
Definition of bankrupt
Verb
  • Spider-Man teams up with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher to take down the green giant and stop the him from destroying the Damage Control skyscraper entirely.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • An official for Green Diamond Resources similarly said her company has no intention of destroying the bird’s habitat.
    — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • Le Porge, a commune to the west of Bordeaux with 3,500 residents, has been devastated.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 27 July 2026
  • Tasmanian devils suffer from Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), a highly fatal cancer spread by biting, which has devastated their population and surprisingly arose twice.
    — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of devastate
Noun
  • The term was coined in 1981 based on the cases of four elderly women in Wisconsin who, like the man, had severe destruction of their shoulder joints and massive tears to their rotator cuffs.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
  • Its mayor, Andriy Sadovyi, posted a video to X showing widespread destruction in part of the city.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of destruction
Noun
  • Shanahan was taken to a hospital by paramedics after the wreck and was released after spending much of the day there.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
  • The wreck was at least the sixth motorcycle crash this month in the Kansas City area that caused serious injury or death.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
Definition of wreck
Noun
  • In 2025, the district became the first in nearly 13 years to seek a state bailout loan to avoid bankruptcy, joining only nine others since 1990.
    — Velvet Wu July 25, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
  • In April, the company that owns the retail programming company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
Definition of bankruptcy
Noun
  • One downfall of being a homeowner is seeing your home start to become a place for unwelcome guests like bats.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 20 July 2026
  • Believing the Trojan Horse to be a peace offering, the officers drag the hollow figure inside the city walls and place it outside the Temple of Athena, which leads to Troy’s harrowing downfall hours later.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 July 2026
Definition of downfall
Verb
  • In Tenet, warriors from the future punish the present because their world is ravaged by climate change caused by us, their ancestors.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 July 2026
  • Set against a backdrop of turbulent transition as the Middle Ages move into modernity, the film follows the three men on their long and arduous journey, across a Europe ravaged by wars and uprisings, to Versailles.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 28 July 2026
Definition of ravage

Browse Nearby Words

rugs
ruin
ruinate
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Cite this Entry

“Ruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruin. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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