ruin

gâcher, abîmer, ruiner

Abîmer ou gâcher quelque chose au point de ne plus pouvoir l’utiliser ou en profiter.

En anglais simple : To damage or spoil something so badly that it cannot be used or enjoyed.

• The rain ruined our picnic.
• Do not ruin the surprise by telling her.
• Have I ruined this shirt by washing it in hot water?

Synonymes : spoil, wreck, destroy

Expressions courantes : ruin something, ruin someone's day, ruin the surprise, ruin someone's plans

ruiner

Faire perdre à une personne ou à une entreprise tout son argent ou la majeure partie.

En anglais simple : To make a person or business lose all or most of their money.

• Those debts could ruin us.
• The failed investment ruined him financially.
• Rising costs have ruined several small businesses.

Synonymes : bankrupt, impoverish

Contraires : enrich

Expressions courantes : ruin someone financially, ruin a business, ruin a company

détruire, dévaster

Détruire un bâtiment ou un lieu jusqu’à ce qu’il n’en reste que des débris.

En anglais simple : To destroy a building or place so that only broken parts remain.

• The earthquake ruined the castle.
• Years of war had ruined the city.
• The fire ruined the church, leaving only its stone walls.

Synonymes : destroy, devastate, wreck

Expressions courantes : ruin a city, ruin a castle, ruin a village

ruine, vestiges

Parties encore présentes d’un bâtiment ancien ou détruit.

En anglais simple : The parts of an old or destroyed building that are still there.

• We visited the castle ruins.
• Only one wall of the ruin still stands.
• Archaeologists found pottery among the ancient ruins.

Comment l'utiliser : the ruins of something (We walked through the ruins of an old castle.)

Synonymes : remains

Expressions courantes : ancient ruin, castle ruin, ruin of something

ruine, délabrement

État de ce qui est très abîmé, détruit ou laissé à l’abandon.

En anglais simple : A state of being badly damaged, destroyed, or allowed to fall apart.

• The old mill fell into ruin.
• Years of neglect brought the estate to ruin.
• The palace lay in ruin until repairs began.

Comment l'utiliser : fall into ruin (The empty house slowly fell into ruin.)

Synonymes : destruction, decay, collapse

Expressions courantes : fall into ruin, lie in ruin, complete ruin