1
as in bankrupts
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts
after he was ruined by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the industrialist was forced to sell his mansion and start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ravages
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
tornadoes ruined a wide swath of the county
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
a huge fire that ruined an entire city block
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rubble
the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed
the ruins of an abandoned abbey
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ruins
Verb
-
Development not only disturbs or destroys the soil, but wipes out habitat.—
Carl R. Gold,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2025 -
First, allowing utilities to own generation destroys the competitive market.—
Mary Beth Tung,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Palestinian health ministry reported Sunday that 139 bodies had been brought to Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours, with a number of victims still under the rubble.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
14 July 2025
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For 21 months, Israeli armed forces have been bombing Gaza into a landscape of rubble and buried corpses—a massively disproportionate retaliation for the Hamas attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed over 1,200 Israelis.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Noun
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The night of the fire, firework debris ignited the area of the home’s exterior rear porch, said Independence Fire Chief Jimmy Walker.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 July 2025
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Some will examine debris piles as they're dismantled by excavators and skid steers.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Authorities were notified of a midair collision in an area just south of Steinbach shortly before 9 a.m. RCMP, fire crews, and emergency medical services responded to the scene and located the wreckage of two small single-engine aircraft.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
9 July 2025
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The content may be used in future stories depicting the wreckage in central Texas as communities continue to grapple with the tragedy.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ruins. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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