hurt

1 of 2

verb

ˈhərt 

hurt; hurting

transitive verb

1

a

: to inflict with physical pain : wound

He hurt his back while moving some boxes.

was seriously hurt in a car accident

You're hurting my arm!

b

: to do substantial or material harm to : damage

the dry summer has hurt the land

2

a

: to cause emotional pain or anguish to : offend

never meant to hurt you

got her feelings hurt

b

: to be detrimental to : hamper

charges of graft hurt his chances of being elected

intransitive verb

1

a

: to suffer pain or grief

He says his tooth hurts.

has been hurting ever since learning of her friend's betrayal

b

: to be in need

—usually used with for

hurting for money

2

: to cause damage or distress

hit where it hurts

hurt adjective

hurter noun

hurt

2 of 2

noun

1

: a cause of injury or damage : blow

this tower of granite, weathering the hurts of so many ages

—R. W. Emerson

2

a

: a bodily injury or wound

b

: mental or emotional distress or anguish : suffering

getting past the hurt of a bitter divorce

3

: wrong, harm

subordinating cosmic to moral considerations, to the hurt of both

—M. R. Cohen

Synonyms

Verb

• ache
• pain
• smart

Noun

• affliction
• agony
• anguish
• distress
• excruciation
• misery
• pain
• rack
• strait(s)
• torment
• torture
• travail
• tribulation
• woe

Choose the Right Synonym for hurt

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 hurt in a Sentence

Verb

Be careful with that knife or you could hurt yourself.

Ouch! You're hurting my arm!

She was badly hurt in a car accident.

My tooth still hurts me.

When I woke up this morning I hurt all over.

Their lack of interest in her work hurt her deeply.

You're only hurting yourself by holding a grudge against them.

It hurt me to see her go.

The lack of rain has hurt the corn crop.

If we lose this game it will seriously hurt our chances of making the play-offs.

Noun

Her sympathy eased the hurt he felt after his dog's death.

They felt a great hurt after their bitter divorce.

She tried to put past hurts behind her.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who testified in front of the committee, said the lawsuits are being filed for political purposes and hurting people who are burdened by thousands in debt. —Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024

Oil industry backers argue that governments themselves have promoted the use of fossil fuels, and that attempts to hold companies accountable for climate change will hurt consumers. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024

Plus, shoppers who walk everywhere say that these shoes are comfortable and never hurt their feet. —Rachel Trujillo, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Little said overturning a deal that state officials had made under the authority of Idaho law was unfair and could hurt the state. —Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2024

High interest rates work to undercut inflation by slowing the economy and hurting investment prices. —CBS News, 10 Apr. 2024

In addition, the property is not secure, meaning people could enter and hurt themselves. —Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024

Did the pandemic bailout help low-wage workers, or hurt them? —Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

Kassan’s suit asserts that Freedman made the comment in order to hurt Kassan’s chances of launching a new venture. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024

Noun

She was hurt when Fleetwood Mac fired Buckingham When Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018, Messner didn’t shy away from expressing her hurt. —Melissa Girimonte, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

So the world could see exactly what kind of hurt might lie below. —Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

One of those is called 77 Sports Marketing, citing the number of years of hurt that passed since a Briton had won Wimbledon before Murray famously beat Novak Djokovic in 2013. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

But Turner's words of compassion did nothing to soothe the hurt some educators are feeling. —The Enquirer, 25 Mar. 2024

This time, however, our visiting, taciturn investigator is white, although no less affected by a hard land’s lingering hurts. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024

Three separate, unrelated shootings erupted within an hour in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on Sunday night, leaving one person dead and several hurt, according to authorities. —Jolie Lash, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024

After missing three games with an ankle injury last season, Campbell took to social media to express frustration about playing hurt. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024

Prince Harry and Prince William's lack of interaction during the Duke of Sussex’s recent trip to the U.K. to see King Charles amid the news of his cancer diagnosis highlights the hurt between the brothers. —Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, probably from Anglo-French hurter to strike, prick, collide with, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse hrūtr male sheep

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hurt

• hurt feelings
• hurt for
• hurt someone's feelings
• it couldn't/can't hurt
• it doesn't hurt
• it won't hurt
• it wouldn't hurt
• put the/a hurt on
• what someone doesn't know can't/won't hurt him/her
• wouldn't hurt a fly

Kids Definition

hurt

1 of 2 verb

ˈhərt 

hurt; hurting

1

a

: to cause physical pain to

b

: to do harm to : damage

2

a

: to cause mental suffering to : offend

the teasing hurts me

b

: hamper entry 1

injuries hurt our chances of winning

3

: to feel or cause pain

my tooth hurts

hurter noun

hurt

2 of 2 noun

1

: a cause of injury or damage

2

: a physical injury or wound

3

a

: physical pain

b

: mental distress : suffering

4

: wrong entry 1 sense 1, harm