harm 1 of 2

noun

ˈhärm How to pronounce harm (audio)
Definition of harmnext
as in damage
something that causes loss or pain you were lucky to survive the fire without harm no harm in trying

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

harm

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to damage
to cause bodily damage to though she wasn't harmed by the flying glass, she slipped and fell on a piece and cut her hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the company's reputation has been harmed by allegations of crooked accounting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word harm distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of harm are damage, hurt, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

When might damage be a better fit than harm?

While the synonyms damage and harm are close in meaning, damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When is it sensible to use hurt instead of harm?

The words hurt and harm are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When would impair be a good substitute for harm?

The meanings of impair and harm largely overlap; however, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

In what contexts can injure take the place of harm?

The words injure and harm can be used in similar contexts, but injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

When can mar be used instead of harm?

While in some cases nearly identical to harm, 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 harm
Noun
In addition to first responders, public health officials, and other volunteers distributed critical harm reduction supplies to those suspected of overdosing, the Baltimore mayor's office wrote in the statement. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 July 2025 Under the agreement, Nantucket is set to establish a community claims fund to provide compensation for economic harm. —Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 11 July 2025
Verb
Cortisol is a key stress hormone that helps regulate metabolism and blood pressure, but too much over time can harm health. —Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 15 July 2025 Marie pleaded guilty to willfully and maliciously harming a police animal in federal court. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 13 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for harm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harm
  1. damage
  2. injure
  3. mar
  4. injury
  5. hurt
  6. wound
Noun
  • The High Note, the popular downtown karaoke bar, has shut down for at least a month, after flooding caused $100,000 in damage.
    — Jordyn Noennig, jsonline.com, 27 July 2025
  • Some cards also offer purchase protections, a form of insurance against theft or damages, per NerdWallet.
    — Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 26 July 2025
Definition of damage
Verb
  • Shooting comes 3 years after another incident The July 25 shooting comes less than three years after another fatal attack at a University of New Mexico housing building left one student dead and three campus visitors injured.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 25 July 2025
  • Those deaths included two sisters, ages 5 and 4, who were strangled by the same man who had just strangled their mother in front of them, and a 2-month-old boy who was being held in his mother’s arms as his father repeatedly punched her, fatally injuring the infant.
    — Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
Definition of injure
Verb
  • Sure, the game was marred by former commissioner Bud Selig declaring the 2002 edition a tie.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • The production Chosen had early in his career for the New York Jets and then with a 1,000-yard season for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 was marred by two arrests within a year between 2018 and 2019.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 14 July 2025
Definition of mar
Noun
  • The paralyzed store owner later died from his injuries.
    — The Marshall Project, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025
  • In 2001, the Ig Nobel Prize in medicine went to Peter Barss of McGill University in Canada for his 1984 survey of injuries due to falling coconuts in Papua New Guinea.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2025
Definition of injury
Verb
  • This growing skepticism means that obvious AI usage could hurt your chances, even if the content quality is high.
    — Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
  • Angela, visibly hurt, calls her out—and for once, everyone agrees.
    — Shelby Stewart, Essence, 20 July 2025
Definition of hurt
Verb
  • Israel launched new airstrikes on Damascus on Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens of others.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 July 2025
  • The attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
    — Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 July 2025
Definition of wound

Browse Nearby Words

harlotry
harm
harm's way
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Cite this Entry

“Harm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harm. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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