in ruins
idiom
: destroyed with some pieces or parts remaining
The building was/lay in ruins.
—sometimes used figurativelyAfter her death, the family was in ruins.
Examples of in ruins in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On March 26, early in the morning, a 984-foot container ship struck the bridge, which left it in ruins.
—
Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
After the defeat of Japan in the Second World War, when the country was in ruins, the new democratic government stepped up this transformation.
—Johann Hari, TIME, 9 May 2024
After finding Khan Younis largely in ruins and unsafe due to unexploded munitions and bombs, many soon return to Rafah.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 8 May 2024
In 2006, after Hezbollah fighters crossed the border, Israel and Hezbollah fought a vicious thirty-four-day war that left large parts of Lebanon in ruins.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
In the six months since Oct. 7, Israel has bombarded Gaza and conducted a devastating ground invasion that has left much of the territory in ruins and more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
Israel’s ground and aerial bombardment campaign, begun after the Hamas attack Oct. 7, has wreaked unprecedented damage on the strip, leveling entire apartment buildings and leaving much of the territory in ruins, a moonscape from war.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Israel's offensive, launched after the shock attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, initially focused on northern Gaza, which has been left in ruins.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Two weeks of heavy fighting around al-Shifa left Gaza’s largest medical complex in ruins.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 May 2024
After the defeat of Japan in the Second World War, when the country was in ruins, the new democratic government stepped up this transformation.
—Johann Hari, TIME, 9 May 2024
After finding Khan Younis largely in ruins and unsafe due to unexploded munitions and bombs, many soon return to Rafah.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 8 May 2024
In 2006, after Hezbollah fighters crossed the border, Israel and Hezbollah fought a vicious thirty-four-day war that left large parts of Lebanon in ruins.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
In the six months since Oct. 7, Israel has bombarded Gaza and conducted a devastating ground invasion that has left much of the territory in ruins and more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
Israel’s ground and aerial bombardment campaign, begun after the Hamas attack Oct. 7, has wreaked unprecedented damage on the strip, leveling entire apartment buildings and leaving much of the territory in ruins, a moonscape from war.
—NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Israel's offensive, launched after the shock attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, initially focused on northern Gaza, which has been left in ruins.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Two weeks of heavy fighting around al-Shifa left Gaza’s largest medical complex in ruins.
—Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in ruins.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in ruins
Cite this Entry
“In ruins.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20ruins. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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