ruins 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of ruin
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

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2
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

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ruins

2 of 2

noun

plural of ruin

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
  • Investigators are continuing to search for wreckage using side-scanning sonar.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Despite its initially violent impact, leading to ocean-churning tsunamis and globe-crossing flying wreckage, this impactor also left behind tremendous opportunity.
    Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 12 Apr. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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