harm

1 of 2

noun

1
: physical or mental damage : injury
the amount of harm sustained by the boat during the storm
2
: mischief, hurt
I meant you no harm.

harm

2 of 2

verb

harmed; harming; harms

transitive verb

: to damage or injure physically or mentally : to cause harm (see harm entry 1) to
No animals were harmed in the making of the film.
the national interest … was gravely harmed by this attackElmer Davis
harmer noun
Choose the Right Synonym for harm

injure, harm, hurt, damage, impair, mar mean to affect injuriously.

injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Examples of harm in a Sentence

Noun They threatened him with bodily harm. The scandal has done irreparable harm to his reputation. She'll do anything to protect her children from harm. They have suffered serious physical harm. These new regulations could cause lasting harm to small businesses. Verb He would never intentionally harm his children. chemicals that could harm the environment The scandal has seriously harmed his reputation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
What is a candy bar worth when a child’s suffering not only doesn’t teach a lesson, but can actually cause further harm — like more jail time in the future? Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 First, cirrhosis is hard to diagnose before irreversible harm has been done. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 The first stage of implementation has been delivered as planned, a government spokesperson said, adding that the changes help keep the UK safe while protecting food supply chains and the agricultural sector from disease outbreaks that would cause significant economic harm. Olivia Fletcher, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024 Each method is weaponized—almost always against women—to degrade, harass, or cause shame, among other harms. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 If the company has a financial loss or causes nonfinancial harm, the liability pierces the corporate shield and falls on the shareholders. Chris Dixon, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2024 Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Most of the harm was felt by unsheltered people and those with substance abuse disorder, data shows. Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Reversal of student loan forgiveness could, thus, cause significant financial harm to people. Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Critics of this approach say this allows industry to change a small molecule in that chemical’s structure, effectively sending scientists back to the lab to prove that the chemical harms the body in the same way as its predecessor. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The changes started slowly in the late 1970s and ’80s, before the arrival of the internet, as many parents in the U.S. grew fearful that their children would be harmed or abducted if left unsupervised. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 Freeing oneself from the social prejudices that celebrate a couple united at all hours is a key phase in integrating the idea that sleeping separately will not harm domestic bliss. Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 Yet our community frequently fails to critically interrogate how a commitment to those myths harms other Black people who do not, or cannot model those things. Olayemi Olurin, Essence, 11 Mar. 2024 Data suggests that the number of Americans harmed in the course of treatment remains high, with incidents of medical error in the U.S. outnumbering those in peer countries, despite more money being spent per capita on health care. Johanna Richlin, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2024 The federal judge wasn’t particularly receptive to the drug makers’ argument that Medicare drug price negotiations would harm biopharmaceutical innovation. Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 8 Mar. 2024 Adding almost 4,000 hotel rooms, mainly at Harbor Island, will harm the supply and demand balance unless the convention center expands. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 While the Court’s decision to allow more human rights cases to go forward is commendable, the Court’s rules now invite politicized lawsuits that may harm the Court’s legitimacy—and weaken international law. Jill Goldenziel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English hearm; akin to Old High German harm injury, Old Church Slavonic sramŭ shame

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of harm was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near harm

Cite this Entry

“Harm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harm. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

harm

noun
ˈhärm
1
: physical or mental damage : injury
2
harm verb

Legal Definition

harm

noun
: loss of or damage to a person's right, property, or physical or mental well-being : injury
harm transitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on harm

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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