damage 1 of 2

noun

ˈda-mij How to pronounce damage (audio)
Definition of damagenext
1
as in harm
something that causes loss or pain the collision did a great deal of damage to her car

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fine
damages plural a sum of money to be paid as a punishment ordered by the court to pay $1000 in damages

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in compensation
damages plural payment to another for a loss or injury the company was forced to pay millions in damages to the permanently disabled worker

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4
as in cost
the amount of money that is demanded as payment for something he winced when he saw the damage after the family's shopping spree

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damage

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wound
to cause bodily damage to his knee was badly damaged in the accident, and he walked with a limp for months

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word damage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of damage are harm, hurt, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When can harm be used instead of damage?

Although the words harm and damage have much in common, harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

Where would hurt be a reasonable alternative to damage?

In some situations, the words hurt and damage are roughly equivalent. However, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When might impair be a better fit than damage?

The words impair and damage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When could injure be used to replace damage?

While the synonyms injure and damage are close in meaning, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

In what contexts can mar take the place of damage?

The words mar and damage can be used in similar contexts, but mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of damage
Noun
In December, new rules from the Department of Transportation came into effect requiring airlines to have stricter standards for accommodating passengers with wheelchairs, as well as requiring airlines to compensate travelers for any damage to their wheelchairs. —Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2025 Tampa Bay was forced out of Tropicana Field after damage caused by Hurricane Milton, so the Rays are playing home games at the Yankees’ spring training base in Tampa. —Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025
Verb
Saltzburg also urged boat owners to regularly check their vessel’s hoses for leaks and replace them if they are damaged. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 27 May 2025 Inskeep: Is the administration trying to damage, destroy or capture your university? —Reena Advani, NPR, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for damage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damage
  1. harm
  2. fine
  3. compensation
  4. cost
  5. injure
  6. wound
  7. injury
  8. penalty
Noun
  • Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.
    — Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2025
  • Much of the debate, from critics on both sides of the aisle, has focused on the harm this could cause the most vulnerable Americans.
    — Brian Castrucci, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Definition of harm
Noun
  • Crain’s reported that, earlier this year, Chetrit and his brothers owed the city nearly half a million in fines on the property, which had 56 active violations, and that it was believed to be the first foreclosure ever for Joseph Chetrit.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 2 June 2025
  • These legal salvos could cost the company billions in fines and force major changes to its business.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2025
Definition of fine
Noun
  • The photograph also confronts us with the performative rehearsal of our own projections, our aspirations for the compensations that the sculpture should deliver.
    — Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • First, get clear on your non-negotiables: compensation, flexibility, values alignment, leadership, and communication style.
    — Britney Porter, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
Definition of compensation
Noun
  • With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 28 May 2025
  • After Jackson County voters rejected a stadiums sales tax in April 2024 that would have guaranteed the teams remained in the county, Kansas lawmakers passed a supercharged bonding plan that authorizes public financing for up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2025
Definition of cost
Verb
  • Federal officials said one immigration agent was injured when a rock shattered his vehicle’s windshield, and the U.S. Marshals Service reported arrests for obstructing operations, according to the Times.
    — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 8 June 2025
  • Among those injured was an infant and a 14-year-old girl, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
    — Natalya Kushnir, ABC News, 7 June 2025
Definition of injure
Verb
  • How many people died on D-Day? On D-Day alone, around 4,440 Allied troops were confirmed dead, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), with more than 5,800 troops wounded or missing.
    — Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
  • Another influx of 184 wounded arrived at the Red Cross field hospital June 3, the ICRC said in a statement; 19 were declared dead on arrival, and eight more died of their wounds not long afterwards.
    — Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 5 June 2025
Definition of wound
Noun
  • Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini, the Italian who had to miss this French Open through injury, were chief among them.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 29 May 2025
  • What’s more, the injury is likely old, given that new tissue is already forming over the wound.
    — Margherita Bassi, Popular Science, 29 May 2025
Definition of injury
Noun
  • Using one's car as a weapon against another competitor on track is unacceptable, and the 10-second penalty that Verstappen earned as a result dropped him to 10th place at the end, ruining his own race more than anyone else's.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2025
  • Liverpool played a full part in the second leg and PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was superb during the game as well as in the decisive penalty shootout.
    — The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Definition of penalty

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damage
damaged
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Cite this Entry

“Damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damage. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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