ruin

verb

/ˈruːɪn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they ruin	/ˈruːɪn/ /ˈruːɪn/
he / she / it ruins	/ˈruːɪnz/ /ˈruːɪnz/
past simple ruined	/ˈruːɪnd/ /ˈruːɪnd/
past participle ruined	/ˈruːɪnd/ /ˈruːɪnd/
-ing form ruining	/ˈruːɪnɪŋ/ /ˈruːɪnɪŋ/

jump to other results

ruin something to damage something so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc. synonym spoil (1), wreck
- The bad weather ruined our trip.
- That one mistake ruined his chances of getting the job.
- My new shoes got ruined in the mud.
- The crops were ruined by the late frost.
Extra Examples
- A knee injury threatened to ruin her Olympic hopes.
- She's ruined everything.
- Years of drinking had ruined his health.
- You've ruined my whole life!
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- completely
- totally
- nearly
- …
verb + ruin
- threaten to
- be going to
See full entry
ruin somebody/something to make somebody/something lose all their money, their position, etc.
- If she loses the court case it will ruin her.
- The country was ruined by the war.
Extra Examples
- They accused the government of ruining the economy.
- The long legal battle ruined him financially.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- completely
- totally
- nearly
- …
verb + ruin
- threaten to
- be going to
See full entry

Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘collapse of a building’): from Old French ruine, from Latin ruina, from ruere ‘to fall’.

ruin

noun

/ˈruːɪn/

Idioms

jump to other results

[uncountable] the state or process of being destroyed or severely damaged
- A large number of churches fell into ruin after the revolution.
- The house had been left to go to ruin.
- The terrorist attack had left the city in a state of ruin
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- complete
- utter
verb + ruin
- fall into
- go to
phrases
- be the ruin of somebody/something
- go to rack and ruin
See full entry
enlarge image

[countable]
(also ruins [plural])
the parts of a building that remain after it has been destroyed or severely damaged
- The old mill is now little more than a ruin.
- We visited the ruins of a Norman castle.
- Two bodies were found among the charred ruins of the house.
- (figurative) He was determined to build a new life out of the ruins of his career.
Extra Examples
- the ancient ruins of Jericho
- It is perhaps the best preserved monastic ruin in the country.
Topics Historyb2, Buildingsb2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- ancient
- old
- charred
- …
verb + ruin
- be in ruins
- lie in ruins
- leave something in ruins
- …
preposition
- ruins of
See full entry
[uncountable] the fact of having no money, of having lost your job, position, etc.
- The divorce ultimately led to his ruin.
- The bank stepped in to save the company from financial ruin.
- The war brought the country to the brink of ruin.
Extra Examples
- He's on the road to political ruin.
- The company faces ruin over the new road plans.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- economic
- financial
verb + ruin
- face
- bring
- lead to
- …
phrases
- on the brink of ruin
- on the verge of ruin
- the road to ruin
- …
See full entry
[singular] something that causes a person, company, etc. to lose all their money, job, position, etc. synonym downfall
- Gambling was his ruin.
Extra Examples
- Drinking has been the ruin of her.
- He said that the plan would be the ruin of European agriculture.

Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘collapse of a building’): from Old French ruine, from Latin ruina, from ruere ‘to fall’.

Idioms

go to rack and ruin

to get into a bad condition
- They let the house go to rack and ruin.
More Like This Alliteration in idioms
Alliteration in idioms
- belt and braces
- black and blue
- born and bred
- chalk and cheese
- chop and change
- done and dusted
- down and dirty
- in dribs and drabs
- eat somebody out of house and home
- facts and figures
- fast and furious
- first and foremost
- forgive and forget
- hale and hearty
- hem and haw
- kith and kin
- mix and match
- part and parcel
- puff and pant
- to rack and ruin
- rant and rave
- risk life and limb
- short and sweet
- signed and sealed
- spic and span
- through thick and thin
- this and that
- top and tail
- tried and tested
- wax and wane

in ruins

destroyed or severely damaged
- Years of fighting have left the area in ruins.
- The church now lies in ruins.
- The scandal left his reputation in ruins.
- Their plans for a comeback now lie in ruins.