ruin
Americannoun
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ruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay.
We visited the ruins of ancient Greece.
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a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc.
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a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition.
The building fell to ruin.
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the downfall, decay, or destruction of anything.
- Antonyms:
- creation, construction
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the complete loss of health, means, position, hope, or the like.
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something that causes a downfall or destruction; blight.
Alcohol was his ruin.
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the downfall of a person; undoing.
Fate decreed the ruin of Oedipus.
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a person as the wreck of their former self; ravaged individual.
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the act of causing destruction or a downfall.
verb (used with object)
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to reduce to a fallen, wrecked, or decayed condition; devastate.
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to bring (a person, company, etc.) to financial destruction; bankrupt.
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to damage, spoil, or injure (a thing) irretrievably.
Not only was the burned stew inedible, but I had absolutely ruined one of my favorite pots.
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Older Use. to induce (a woman) to surrender her virginity; deflower.
verb (used without object)
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to fall into decay; fall to pieces.
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to come to downfall or destruction.
noun
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destroyed or decayed building or town
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the state or condition of being destroyed or decayed
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loss of wealth, position, etc, or something that causes such loss; downfall
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something that is severely damaged
his life was a ruin
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a person who has suffered a downfall, bankruptcy, etc
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loss of value or usefulness
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archaic loss of her virginity by a woman outside marriage
verb
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(tr) to bring to ruin; destroy
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(tr) to injure or spoil
the town has been ruined with tower blocks
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archaic (intr) to fall into ruins; collapse
Usage
What does ruin mean? Ruin is most commonly used as a verb meaning to destroy or spoil. As a noun, ruin means the remains of a destroyed or decayed place, especially a half-standing building or city. It is most commonly used in the plural, as in ancient ruins. Example: I feel like the once-quiet atmosphere of the ancient ruins has been ruined by the presence of too many tourists and commercial vendors.
Synonym Usage
Ruin, destruction, havoc imply irrevocable and often widespread damage. Destruction may be on a large or small scale ( destruction of tissue, of enemy vessels ); it emphasizes particularly the act of destroying, while ruin and havoc emphasize the resultant state. Ruin, from the verb meaning to fall to pieces, suggests a state of decay or disintegration (or an object in that state) that is apt to be more the result of the natural processes of time and change than of sudden violent activity from without: The house has fallen to ruins. Only in its figurative application is it apt to suggest the result of destruction from without: the ruin of her hopes. Havoc, originally a cry that served as the signal for pillaging, has changed its reference from that of spoliation to devastation, being used particularly of the destruction following in the wake of natural calamities: the havoc wrought by flood and pestilence. Today it is used figuratively to refer to the destruction of hopes and plans: This sudden turn of events played havoc with her carefully laid designs. See spoil.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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self-ruinnoun
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half-ruinedadjective
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nonruinableadjective
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self-ruinedadjective
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ruinernoun
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ruinableadjective
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unruinableadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has ruinedperfect 3rd person singular
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have ruinedperfect
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am ruiningprogressive 1st person singular
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is ruiningprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been ruiningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been ruiningperfect progressive
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are ruiningprogressive
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ruiningparticiple
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ruinssingular 3rd person
Past
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had ruinedperfect
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were ruiningprogressive plural
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was ruiningprogressive singular
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had been ruiningperfect progressive
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ruinedsimple
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ruinedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of ruin
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English noun rueyne, ruyen, from Middle French ruwine, from Latin ruīna “headlong rush, fall, collapse,” equivalent to ruere “to fall” + -īna feminine singular of suffix -īnus; ; verb ultimately derivative of the noun; see -ine 2
Explanation
To ruin means to wreck or destroy. If you're wearing a long dress, make sure your clumsy brother stays away from you. If he steps on it, it'll rip and be ruined. Bad news always ruins your day and a guest's bad behavior can really ruin a party and all your fun! Be careful when adding salt to your food — too much will ruin it. Often you will see ruin used as a noun that means the state of ruin, the action that causes it or the destruction itself. If you are a ruin of your former self, you're in pretty bad shape. Use ruins for the remains of old castles and Roman structures.
Vocabulary lists containing ruin
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the northern region of Asturias, graffiti has been daubed in recent days on holiday rental properties, with the slogan: "Your business, our ruin."
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
But just 10 months later, the campaign suffered what appeared to be a fatal blow — yet one which may ultimately have saved it from ruin.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
“Before they ruin it any further. Hopefully before it’s extinct, which, I mean, it’s not gonna be.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Harmoush warned of economic ruin were the crisis to persist: shop owners unable to pay rent and taxes, cab drivers left without passengers and labourers struggling to find work.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
She convinced them that he was in Heathcote to attend a surprise birthday party, and that it would ruin the surprise if anyone discovered that he was near.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
