English Explanatory Dictionary

harm

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Physical injury; hurt; damage.
  2. Emotional or figurative hurt.
  3. Detriment; misfortune.
  4. That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
verb
  1. To damage, hurt, or injure something, usually an inanimate object.

Pronunciation

/hɑːm/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-harm.wav /hɑɹm/ en-us-harm.ogg

Word forms

harm harms harme harming harmed

Etymology

From Middle English harm, herm, from Old English hearm, from Proto-West Germanic *harm, from Proto-Germanic *harmaz (“harm; shame; pain”). Cognate with Dutch harm (“harm”), German Harm (“harm”), Danish harme (“indignation, resentment”), Icelandic harmur (“sorrow, grief”), Swedish harm (“anger, indignation, harm”).

Synonyms

abuse annoy bewound damage damnify dere do damage to do for do ill do violence to forwork grieve harm harrow hurt injure maul misdo put someone in hospital scaith scathe vulnerate wet wound

Antonyms

heal repair

Related words

injury harmful

Derived words

harmable harmdoing harmer harmful harmless harmproof nonharm self-harm unharmed actual bodily harm do more harm than good do no harm grievous bodily harm harm a fly harm a hair on someone's head harm principle harm reduction harm's way no harm done number needed to harm repeated bodily harm wouldn't harm a fly
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