/ ˈruːɪn; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
to damage sth so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc.; to spoil sth
SYN 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.
2.
to make sb/sth lose all their money, their position, etc. :
If she loses the court case it will ruin her.
The country was ruined by the war.
■ noun
1.
[ U ] the state or process of being destroyed or severely damaged :
A large number of churches fell into ruin after the revolution.
2.
[ U ] 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 .
3.
[ sing. ] something that causes a person, company, etc. to lose all their money, job, position, etc.
SYN downfall :
Gambling was his ruin.
4.
[ C ] (also ruins [ pl. ]) 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.
( figurative )
He was determined to build a new life out of the ruins of his career.
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IDIOMS
- in ruins
—more at rack noun
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense collapse of a building ): from Old French ruine , from Latin ruina , from ruere to fall.