ruinverb [ T ]
uk/ˈruː.ɪn/us/ˈruː.ɪn/B2 to spoil or destroy something completely:
to cause a person or company to lose all their money or their good reputation:
More examples
- A modern extension on the old building would ruin its architectural integrity.
- The poor sound quality ruined an otherwise splendid film.
- Lucy has just ruined her new dress. That's children for you.
- I think the new extension ruins the proportions of the building.
- If you scuff your feet like that, you'll ruin your shoes.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Destroying and demolishing
- annihilate
- apocalypse
- be sacrificed on the altar of sth idiom
- blast
- blast/blow sb/sth to kingdom come idiom
- fall in
- kill sth off
- kill the goose that lays the golden egg idiom
- knock
- knock sth down
- sacrifice
- sink
- smash
- stave sth in
- take sb/sth out
- tear 1
- tear sth apart
- tear sth down
- teardown
- wipe
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
ruinnoun
uk/ˈruː.ɪn/us/ˈruː.ɪn/[ U ] the process or state of being spoiled or destroyed:
C2 [ U ] a situation in which a person or company has lost all their money or their reputation:
B1 [ C ] the broken parts that are left from an old building or town:
(of a building or city) to be extremely badly damaged so that most of it has fallen down:
C1 to be in an extremely bad state:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Damaging and spoiling
- adulterate
- alloy
- at the expense of sb idiom
- at-risk
- bandh
- bang up sb/sth
- gild the lily idiom
- gloss
- gnaw
- gnaw away at sth
- go west idiom
- goonda
- poison
- ravages
- scourge
- shatter
- shoot sth up
- shred
- sour
- tell on sb
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics: