WordWeb Online

1. Damage beyond use or repair
   "The tears ruined her make-up"; "You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!";
   - destroy
    
2. Destroy or cause to fail
   "This behaviour will ruin your chances of winning the election"
    
3. Reduce to bankruptcy
   "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to ruin me!";
   - bankrupt, break, smash
    
4. Reduce to ruins
   "The country lay ruined after the war"
    
5. Fall into ruin
    
6. [archaic] Deprive of virginity
   "This dirty old man ruined several young girls in the village";
   - deflower [archaic]

1. An irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
   "you have brought ruin on this entire family";
   - ruination
    
2. A ruined building
   "they explored several Roman ruins"
    
3. The process of becoming dilapidated
   - dilapidation
    
4. An event that results in destruction
   - ruination
    
5. Failure that results in a loss of position or reputation
   - downfall, ruination
    
6. Destruction achieved by causing something to be wrecked or ruined
   - laying waste, ruining, ruination, wrecking

Derived forms: ruining, ruined, ruins

Type of: baffle, bilk [informal], building, copulate, couple, cross, crumble, decay, demolition, desolate, desolation, destruction, devastate, devastation, dilapidate, edifice, failure, foil, frustrate, impoverish, lay waste, lay waste to, mate, pair, queer [informal], ravage, scotch, scourge, scupper [informal], spoil, thwart, waste, wipeout

Encyclopedia: Ruin, Iran