injure

verb

in·​jure ˈin-jər 

injured; injuring ˈin-j(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to inflict bodily hurt on

b

: to impair the soundness of

injured her health

c

: to inflict material damage or loss on

2

a

: to harm, impair, or tarnish the standing of

injured his reputation

b

: to give pain to

injure a person's pride

c

: to do an injustice to : wrong

injurer

ˈin-jər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• damage
• harm
• hurt
• wound

Choose the Right Synonym for injure

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 injure in a Sentence

She fell and injured herself.

She fell and slightly injured her arm.

Several people were badly injured in the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jacob Fuerte, 22, was fatally injured shortly after 5 a.m. near Vineland Avenue. —Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024

Two were injured and survived, while bodies of another three have been recovered. —Robert Legare, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024

Two people were injured overnight in two shootings across Denver. —Julianna O'Clair, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024

At least nine other people were injured during the incident, and two of those persons were run over by vehicles at the scene, according to the release. —Parker Mancino, arkansasonline.com, 14 Apr. 2024

One person was killed and several injured in the conflict, Palestinian officials said. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

An Arizona man's departure from a downtown parking garage was cut short after two people allegedly hurled a fire extinguisher from their rooftop, injuring him. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024

In 2009, Ensley and another officer opened fire on an armed man while on patrol in the Ramona Gardens housing development, injuring the suspect. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

At least 13 homes were damaged and some residents were injured, Fayette County, West Virginia, Office of Emergency Management director Kevin Walker told CNN. —Dalia Faheid, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enjuren, from Anglo-French *enjurer, from Late Latin injuriare, from Latin injuria injury

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Kids Definition

injure

verb

in·​jure ˈin-jər 

injured; injuring ˈinj-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to do an injustice to : wrong

2

: to cause pain or harm to

injured her arm

injured his pride

3

: to cause to suffer damage or loss

a tax that injured business

houses injured by the storm

Medical Definition

injure

transitive verb

in·​jure ˈin-jər 

injured; injuring ˈinj-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to inflict bodily hurt on

2

: to impair the soundness of

injure your health

Legal Definition

injure

1 of 2 transitive verb

in·​jure

injured; injuring

1

: to interfere with or violate the legally protected interests of: as

a

: to harm the physical, emotional, or mental well-being of

b

: to cause (another) to suffer from damage to, deprivation of, or interference with property or a property interest

c

: to violate the constitutionally or otherwise legally protected rights of

2

: to mar or impair the soundness or appearance of (as a building) : deface

in jure

2 of 2 adverb

in ju·​re

in-ˈju̇r-ē, -ˈyü-rā

: in right, law, or justice

Etymology

Latin