ruin ◆◇◇ /ruː I n/ (ruins , ruining , ruined )
1 VERB To ruin something means to severely harm, damage, or spoil it. □ [V n] Olivia was ruining her health through worry.
2 VERB To ruin someone means to cause them to no longer have any money. □ [V n] She accused him of ruining her financially with his taste for the high life.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Ruin is the state of no longer having any money. □ The farmers say recent inflation has driven them to the brink of ruin.
4 N‑UNCOUNT Ruin is the state of being severely damaged or spoiled, or the process of reaching this state. □ The vineyards were falling into ruin.
5 N‑PLURAL The ruins of something are the parts of it that remain after it has been severely damaged or weakened. □ [+ of ] The new republic he helped to build emerged from the ruins of a great empire.
6 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The ruins of a building are the parts of it that remain after the rest has fallen down or been destroyed. □ One dead child was found in the ruins almost two hours after the explosion.
7 → see also ruined
8 PHRASE If something is in ruins , it is completely spoiled. □ Its heavily-subsidized economy is in ruins.
9 PHRASE If a building or place is in ruins , most of it has been destroyed and only parts of it remain. □ The abbey was in ruins. SYNONYMS ruin VERB 1
harm: …a warning that the product may harm the environment.
damage: He maliciously damaged a car with a baseball bat.
destroy: The building was completely destroyed in the explosion.
spoiclass="underline" Peaceful summer evenings can be spoilt by mosquitoes.
ru|ina|tion /ruː I ne I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT The ruination of someone or something is the act of ruining them or the process of being ruined. □ [+ of ] Money was the ruination of him.
ruined /ruː I nd/ ADJ [ADJ n] A ruined building or place has been very badly damaged or has gradually fallen down because no-one has taken care of it. □ …a ruined church.
ru|in|ous /ruː I nəs/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe the cost of something as ruinous , you mean that it costs far more money than you can afford or than is reasonable. □ Many Britons will still fear the potentially ruinous costs of their legal system. ● ru|in|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj] □ …a ruinously expensive court case.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A ruinous process or course of action is one that is likely to lead to ruin. □ The economy of the state is experiencing the ruinous effects of the conflict. ● ru|in|ous|ly ADV [usu ADV -ed] □ …cities ruinously choked by uncontrolled traffic.
rule ◆◆◆ /ruː l/ (rules , ruling , ruled )
1 N‑COUNT Rules are instructions that tell you what you are allowed to do and what you are not allowed to do. □ [+ of ] …a thirty-two-page pamphlet explaining the rules of basketball. □ Strictly speaking, this was against the rules.
2 N‑COUNT A rule is a statement telling people what they should do in order to achieve success or a benefit of some kind. □ An important rule is to drink plenty of water during any flight. [Also + for/of ]
3 N‑COUNT The rules of something such as a language or a science are statements that describe the way that things usually happen in a particular situation. □ [+ of ] …according to the rules of quantum theory.
4 N‑SING If something is the rule , it is the normal state of affairs. □ However, for many Americans today, weekend work has unfortunately become the rule rather than the exception.
5 VERB The person or group that rules a country controls its affairs. □ [V n] Mongan ruled Ulster until his death in AD 625. □ [V ] He ruled for eight months. □ [V + over ] …the long line of feudal lords who had ruled over this land. ● N‑UNCOUNT Rule is also a noun. □ …demands for an end to one-party rule.
6 VERB If something rules your life, it influences or restricts your actions in a way that is not good for you. □ [V n] Scientists have always been aware of how fear can rule our lives and make us ill.
7 VERB When someone in authority rules that something is true or should happen, they state that they have officially decided that it is true or should happen. [FORMAL ] □ [V that] The court ruled that laws passed by the assembly remained valid. □ [V + on ] The court has not yet ruled on the case. □ [V n adj/n] A provincial magistrates' court last week ruled it unconstitutional. □ [V + against ] The committee ruled against all-night opening mainly on safety grounds. [Also V + in favour of ]
8 VERB If you rule a straight line, you draw it using something that has a straight edge. □ [V -ed] …a ruled grid of horizontal and vertical lines. [Also V n]
9 → see also golden rule , ground rule , ruling , slide rule
10 PHRASE If you say that something happens as a rule , you mean that it usually happens. □ As a rule, however, such attacks have been aimed at causing damage rather than taking life.
11 PHRASE If someone in authority bends the rules or stretches the rules , they do something even though it is against the rules. □ There is a particular urgency in this case, and it would help if you could bend the rules.