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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

ruin

/ˈɹuː.ɪn/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:49
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What does ruin mean?

noun

  1. The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
  2. The state of being a ruin, destroyed or decayed.
  3. Something that leads to serious trouble or destruction.
More meanings (14)

noun

  1. The act of ruining something.
  2. Clipping of ruined orgasm
  3. A change that destroys or defeats something; destruction; overthrow.
  4. Complete financial loss; bankruptcy.
  5. (obsolete) A fall or tumble.

verb

  1. To cause the fiscal ruin of; to bankrupt or drive out of business.
  2. To destroy or render something no longer usable or operable.
  3. To destroy (e.g. a city) so as to leave ruins.
  4. To upset or overturn the plans or progress of, or to have a disastrous effect on something.
  5. To make something less enjoyable or likeable.
  6. To make (someone) have a ruined orgasm.
  7. To reveal the ending of (a story); to spoil.
  8. (obsolete) To fall into a state of decay.
  9. (historical) To seduce or debauch, and thus harm the social standing of.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈɹuː.ɪn/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The better remedy is for the sufferer to pass on, and leave what he once thought his irreparable ruin far behind him.
Nathaniel HawthorneThe House of the Seven GablesProject Gutenberg ebook #77
It is even possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin.
Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyFrankenstein; or, the modern prometheusProject Gutenberg ebook #84
More book examples (3)
All four of them seemed to be standing at the four corners of old age, which are decrepitude, decay, ruin, and sadness.
Victor HugoLes MisérablesTranslated by Isabel Florence HapgoodProject Gutenberg ebook #135
The ants were pouring down a glacier of loose earth heaped between the stones of the ruin—large brown ants with polished bodies.
Virginia WoolfThe Voyage OutProject Gutenberg ebook #144
The glitter of the ivy, the soft, atmospheric grey of the castle walls, the gentleness of everything near the ruin, was perfect.
D. H. (David Herbert) LawrenceSons and LoversProject Gutenberg ebook #217