Ruin (Verb)
Meaning 1
Reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him".
Classification
Verbs of buying, selling, owning.
Examples
- High interest rates will ruin many small business owners who are already struggling to stay afloat.
- The economic downturn has started to ruin several major companies, causing widespread job losses.
- His lavish spending habits eventually started to ruin him, leaving him with enormous debts.
- The family's restaurant went under due to numerous bad investments, and it would financially ruin them.
- His addiction to online shopping nearly ruined him by draining his savings account dry.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Destroy completely; damage irreparably; "You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!"; "The tears ruined her make-up".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The constant arguing will ruin their relationship.
- The massive flood ruined the crops in the entire valley.
- She accidentally dropped the vase and ruined the priceless family heirloom.
- The harsh chemicals ruined the soil in the garden.
- Pouring acid in the pool ruined the equipment and made it unusable.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
- Devour
- Shipwreck
- Despoil
- Wash Out
- Burn
- Lay Waste To
- Wrack
- Consume
- Violate
- Subvert
- Vandalize
- Kick In
- Bust Up
- Do A Job On
- Plunder
- Ravage
- Explode
- Harry
- Rape
- Desolate
- Get
- Burn Down
- Scourge
- Break
- Devastate
Related Words
Meaning 3
Destroy or cause to fail; "This behavior will ruin your chances of winning the election".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- Your bad attitude will ruin your relationships with your colleagues.
- Excessive sugar consumption can ruin your dental health over time.
- Not following safety protocols will ruin the entire project.
- This decision will ruin our chances of getting the business loan.
- Falsifying financial records will ruin your reputation and put you in jail.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 4
Deprive of virginity; "This dirty old man deflowered several young girls in the village".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The corrupt uncle was accused of ruining several young girls in the neighborhood with his despicable actions.
- She claimed her ex-boyfriend had ruined her when they were teenagers, and the experience left her traumatized.
- His actions were seen as a deliberate attempt to ruin the innocent girl and destroy her reputation.
- The man was arrested and charged for ruining multiple underage girls in the community.
- He was ostracized by society for ruining several young women, taking advantage of their trust in him.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 5
Fall into ruin.
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The once-beautiful palace gradually began to fall into ruin, a victim of war and neglect.
- Abandoned by its owners, the old mansion fell into ruin and became a ghostly relic of the past.
- The severe economic downturn caused the company to fall into ruin, leaving thousands of employees without jobs.
- Without proper maintenance, the historic castle began to fall into ruin, crumbling under the weight of time.
- After years of civil strife, the ancient city fell into ruin, its magnificent architecture reduced to rubble.
Hypernyms
Related Words
Meaning 6
Reduce to ruins; "The country lay ruined after the war".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The fire was so intense that it would ruin the entire apartment complex within hours.
- Years of neglect and disrepair had begun to ruin the once-thriving amusement park.
- The town was still struggling to recover after a hurricane came through and ruin many of the homes and businesses.
- Erosion from the storm had started to ruin the foundation of the old lighthouse.
- Decades of unchecked growth had started to ruin the beautiful and pristine national forest with excessive pollutants.