damage

noun

dam·age | \ ˈda-mij

Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation flood damage sustained severe damage to her knee

2 damages plural : compensation in money imposed by law for loss or injury The judge awarded them $5,000 in damages.

3 : expense, cost "What's the damage?" he asked the waiter

damage

verb

damaged; damaging

Definition of damage (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cause damage (see damage entry 1 sense 1) to don't damage the furniture returning soldiers damaged by war

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Choose the Right Synonym for damage

Verb

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 damage in a Sentence

Noun

The items were carefully wrapped to protect them from damage during shipping. The city sustained heavy damage during the war. Fortunately the boat suffered no serious damage in the storm. The fall caused considerable damage to her knee. The disease is known to cause permanent brain damage. The scandal caused significant damage to her career. You've said enough. Please leave before you do any more damage. He tried to repair the damage by apologizing, but it was too late. He apologized, but the damage was already done.

Verb

Please return any items that are damaged during shipping. Many homes were damaged or completely destroyed in the fire. The fall severely damaged her knee. Smoking can seriously damage your lungs. The scandal significantly damaged her career. This news will undoubtedly damage the governor's reputation. He was worried that his comments had seriously damaged their relationship. He's trying to repair his damaged reputation.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Both of these molecules are central to the chemical reactions that your cells—including skin cells—need to repair damage, propagate, and function normally. — A.a. Newton, SELF, "Here’s What Niacinamide Can—and Can’t—Do for Your Skin," 8 May 2019 Notre Dame, the famous Catholic Cathedral that's stood in Paris for more than 800 years, caught fire around 1:50pm ET, resulting in the collapse of its 300-foot spire and extensive damage to its medieval wooden frame. — Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, "As Notre Dame Smolders, France Promises to Rebuild," 15 Apr. 2019 The average Joe gets so little in settlement that a mere 40% to 60% of shareholders seek to collect their damages. — Hal Scott, WSJ, "The SEC’s Misguided Attack on Shareholder Arbitration," 22 Feb. 2019 People all around the world, including design professionals, feel a deep sense of loss over the damage to this architectural treasure. — Monique Valeris, ELLE Decor, "Top Designers on What Notre-Dame Means to Them," 17 Apr. 2019 The hearing was related to a lawsuit Allen filed in February seeking at least $68 million in damages. — Larry Neumeister, The Seattle Times, "Amazon: Woody Allen’s #MeToo comments wrecked movie deal," 15 Apr. 2019 Unfortunately, the damage was too severe and Perry passed away on Monday. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Luke Perry Dies at 52 After 'Massive' Stroke," 4 Mar. 2019 Disasters this year like Hurricane Florence led to billions of dollars in damages and were worsened by factors like rising sea levels and warmer air temperatures. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "7 bad science and health ideas that should die with 2018," 26 Dec. 2018 The latest analysis from CoreLogic, which was released at 1:25 ET today, predicts a total of $2 to$4.5 billion in damages to residential and commercial property, including wind and storm surge. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Hurricane Michael: Real estate experts anticipate billions in storm damage," 10 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Voytek suggests lumbering is akin to a kind of ataxia, which can happen if the cerebellum, which controls movement, is severely damaged. — Joe Lindsey, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: How Do Wights Work?," 26 Apr. 2019 Karpency got in the ring with a black eye, and his nose was damaged early by Ramírez, the rangy puncher who had just one previous stoppage victory since 2014. — Greg Beacham, The Seattle Times, "Lomachenko stops Crolla in 4th, defends lightweight belts," 13 Apr. 2019 For doctors trying to help patients whose brains were damaged or diseased, MRI provided an invaluable snapshot of their condition. — Jerry Kaplan, WSJ, "The Machines That Will Read Your Mind," 5 Apr. 2019 That's why most salons won't perm lightened hair, because it's already damaged from color treatments. — Erin Reimel, Glamour, "I Got a Perm (Yes, a Perm) in Search of Perfect Beach Waves," 23 Mar. 2019 Pulp mills, sawmills and other production facilities were damaged in 11 of the top timber-producing counties in state, Putnam said. — Fox News, "Missing Florida woman's body recovered amid rubble," 19 Oct. 2018 Papa John's has acknowledged in regulatory filings that Schnatter's role as its pitchman could be a liability if his reputation was damaged. — Candice Choi, chicagotribune.com, "Papa John's starts pulling founder's image from marketing," 13 July 2018 Schnatter has long been the face of the brand, appearing in TV ads for Papa John's, and the company has noted in regulatory filings its business could be harmed if Schnatter's reputation was damaged. — Candace Choi, Cincinnati.com, "Papa John's to pull founder from marketing after racial slur reports," 13 July 2018 Papa John's has acknowledged in regulatory filings that Schnatter's public role as its pitchman could be a liability if his reputation was damaged. — NBC News, "Papa John's pulling founder's image from marketing after racial slur report," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'damage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 May 2019

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The first known use of damage was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for damage

damage

noun

English Language Learners Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

: physical harm that is done to something or to someone's body

: emotional harm that is done to someone

: problems that are caused by a mistake, wrong action, etc. : bad or harmful effects on a situation, a person's reputation, etc.

damage

verb

English Language Learners Definition of damage (Entry 2 of 2)

: to physically harm (something)

: to cause problems in or for (something) : to have a bad effect on (a situation, a person's reputation, etc.)

See the full definition for damage in the English Language Learners Dictionary

damage

noun

dam·age | \ ˈda-mij

Kids Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : loss or harm caused by injury to a person's body or property How much damage was done to the car?

2 damages plural : money demanded or paid according to law for injury or damage The jury awarded $50,000 in damages.

damage

verb

damaged; damaging

Kids Definition of damage (Entry 2 of 2)

: to cause harm or loss to

damage

noun

dam·age

Legal Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation

2 plural : the money awarded to a party in a civil suit as reparation for the loss or injury for which another is liable — see also additur, cover, mitigate, remittitur — compare declaratory judgment at judgment sense 1a, injunction, specific performance at performance

Note: The trier of fact determines the amount of damages to be awarded to the prevailing party. More than one type of damages may be awarded for a single injury.

— actual damages

: damages deemed to compensate the injured party for losses sustained as a direct result of the injury suffered

— called also compensatory damages

— consequential damages

: special damages in this entry

— direct damages

: damages for a loss that is an immediate, natural, and foreseeable result of the wrongful act — compare special damages in this entry

— exemplary damages \ ig-ˈzem-plə-rē- \

: punitive damages in this entry

— expectation damages

: damages recoverable for breach of contract and designed to put the injured party in the position he or she would have been in had the contract been completed

— called also expectancy damages

— general damages

1 : damages for a loss that is the natural, foreseeable, and logical result of a wrongful act — compare special damages in this entry

2 : damages for losses (as pain and suffering, inconvenience, or loss of lifestyle) whose monetary values are difficult to assign

— hedonic damages \ hi-ˈdä-nik- \

: damages deemed to compensate for the loss of enjoyment of life resulting from a wrongful act

Note: Hedonic damages are not recognized in all jurisdictions.

— incidental damages

: damages recoverable under section 2-715 of the Uniform Commercial Code in breach of contract cases for losses that include expenses incurred in handling and caring for goods which were the subject of the contract, reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining cover, and any other reasonable expenses resulting from the breach that do not fall into any other category

— liquidated damages

: damages whose amount is agreed upon by the parties to a contract as adequately compensating for loss in the event of a breach

— called also stipulated damages

Note: Liquidated damages in an amount exceeding that needed to reasonably compensate the injured party constitute a penalty and are therefore void.

— moratory damages

in the civil law of Louisiana : damages recoverable for loss resulting from an obligor's delay in performing

Note: Compensatory damages are recoverable in a case of failure to perform.

— nominal damages

: damages awarded in a small amount (as one dollar) in cases in which a party has been injured but no loss resulted from the injury or in which the injured party failed to prove that loss resulted from the injury

— presumed damages

: damages that are presumed under the law to result naturally and necessarily from a tortious act and that therefore do not require proof

— punitive damages

: damages awarded in cases of serious or malicious wrongdoing to punish or deter the wrongdoer or deter others from behaving similarly

— called also exemplary damages, smart money

— special damages

: damages awarded in an amount deemed to compensate for losses that arise not as a natural result of the injury but because of some particular circumstance of the injured party specifically : damages relating to a business, profession, or property that are easily calculable in monetary terms

— called also consequential damages

— compare direct damages in this entry — general damages in this entry

Note: Because special damages do not arise in every case, they must be specifically requested in the pleadings. This is an issue of particular importance in cases of harm to reputation, such as slander, libel, and malicious prosecution.

— stipulated damages

in the civil law of Louisiana : liquidated damages in this entry

— treble damages \ ˈtre-bəl- \

: damages awarded in an amount that is three times the amount for which the trier of fact finds the wrongdoer liable

Note: Treble damages are recoverable where authorized by statute and are usually imposed as a punishment.