- 1ruin something to damage something so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc.; to spoil something synonym wreck The bad weather ruined our trip. That one mistake ruined his chances of getting the job. My new shoes got ruined in the mud. The crops were ruined by the late frost.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- 2ruin somebody/something to make someone or something lose all their money, their position, etc. If she loses the court case it will ruin her. The country was ruined by the war.
verb jump to other results
NAmE//ˈruɪn//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they ruin he / she / it ruins
past simple ruined
-ing form ruining
Check pronunciation: ruin