to ruin something
1ruin — [[t]ru͟ːɪn[/t]] ♦♦♦ ruins, ruining, ruined 1) VERB To ruin something means to severely harm, damage, or spoil it. [V n] My wife was ruining her health through worry... [V n] Entire villages have been washed away. Roads and bridges have been… …
2ruin — n Ruin, havoc, devastation, destruction are comparable when they mean the bringing about of disaster or what is left by a disaster. They are general terms which do not definitely indicate the cause or the effect yet suggest the kind of force… …
3ruin — [ro͞o′ən] n. [ME ruine < OFr < L ruina < ruere, to fall, hurl to the ground < IE * ereu < base * er , to set in motion, erect > RUN, RISE] 1. Archaic a falling down, as of a building, wall, etc. 2. [pl.] the remains of a fallen… …
4ruin — 1 verb (T) 1 to spoil or destroy something completely: The rain ruined our holiday. | My new white dress was totally ruined! see destroy 2 to make someone lose all their money: Jefferson was ruined by the law suit. ruined adjective (only before… …
5ruin — ru|in1 S3 [ˈru:ın] v [T] 1.) to spoil or destroy something completely ▪ This illness has ruined my life. ▪ His career would be ruined. ▪ All this mud s going to ruin my shoes. see usage note ↑destroy 2.) to make someone lose all their money ▪ …
6ruin — I UK [ˈruːɪn] / US [ˈruɪn] verb [transitive] Word forms ruin : present tense I/you/we/they ruin he/she/it ruins present participle ruining past tense ruined past participle ruined ** 1) to destroy or severely damage something You ll completely… …
7ruin — ru|in1 [ ruın ] verb transitive ** to destroy or severely damage something: You ll completely ruin the flowers if you touch them. Any kind of dishonest dealing will ruin his career. She had ruined her mother s chances of getting a job. a. to… …
8ruin — ▪ I. ruin ru‧in 1 [ˈruːn] noun [uncountable] 1. when you have lost all your money, your social position, or the good opinion that people had of you: • The war plunged the country into economic ruin. • a company on the brink of financial ruin (=… …
9ruin — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. destruction, downfall, perdition; wreck, remains, relic. See failure, remainder. v. t. wreck, raze, demolish; impoverish, seduce, etc. See impurity, poverty. II (Roget s IV) n. 1. [The act of… …
10ruin — ruinable, adj. ruiner, n. /rooh in/, n. 1. ruins, the remains of a building, city, etc., that has been destroyed or that is in disrepair or a state of decay: We visited the ruins of ancient Greece. 2. a destroyed or decayed building, town, etc. 3 …
