1. Destruction achieved by causing something to be wrecked or ruined
   "The economic crisis resulted in the ruining of many small businesses";
   - laying waste, ruin, ruination

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 ruins
   "The country lay ruined after the war"
    
4. Reduce to bankruptcy
   "My daughter's fancy wedding is going to ruin me!";
   - bankrupt, break, smash
    
5. Fall into ruin
   "The abandoned castle ruined over the centuries"
    
6. [archaic] Deprive of virginity
   "This dirty old man ruined several young girls in the village";
   - deflower [archaic]

Derived forms: ruinings

Type of: act, baffle, bilk [informal], copulate, couple, cross, crumble, decay, desolate, destruction, devastate, devastation, dilapidate, foil, frustrate, impoverish, lay waste, lay waste to, mate, move, pair, queer [informal], ravage, scotch, scupper [informal], spoil, thwart, waste

Encyclopedia: Ruin, Iran