maim

verb \ ˈmām \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

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Examples: maim in a Sentence

Definition of maim

transitive verb

1 : to commit the felony of mayhem upon

2 : to mutilate, disfigure, or wound seriously

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maimer

noun

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Examples of maim in a Sentence

The bomb killed 16 people and maimed several others.
on-the-job accidents maim far too many workers every year

Recent Examples of maim from the Web

Anderson is charged assault with intent to maim, a 10-year felony, and misdemeanor assault.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Woman angry over order bites off part of restaurant owner's ear," 29 June 2018
More than 10,000 children were killed or maimed amid armed conflicts worldwide last year, while others were raped, forced to serve as armed soldiers or caught in attacks on schools and hospitals, a United Nations report said Wednesday.

— verena dobnik, Fox News, "UN: 10,000 children killed, maimed in conflicts worldwide," 27 June 2018
Each year snakes kill more than 81,000 people and maim hundreds of thousands more.

— kyle dickman, Outside Online, "A Rattle with Death in Yosemite," 20 June 2018
That year, two South Korean soldiers were maimed by land mines in the DMZ.

— yun-hwan chae, WSJ, "Hot Property in Korea: Great View of the DMZ, May Have Land Mines," 7 June 2018
There are dozens of these diseases, and many cause crippling parasitic infections that can maim or even kill their victims.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "How The World Is Fighting Back Against These Little-Known Killer Diseases," 30 Nov. 2016
That has not occurred for more than 60 years, so today only parents in their very late 80s or older recall the visceral fear of the disease killing or maiming their children.

— michael hicks, Indianapolis Star, "Hicks: What's a trade war? We may soon find out.," 10 June 2018
Allegiances shift and high jinks ensue as our cursing, sword-swinging protagonist gets incarcerated, blown up, shot, stabbed, defiled and maimed in order to do the right thing.

— brian truitt, USA TODAY, "Review: Delightfully wacky 'Deadpool 2' raises the superhero bar from hit original," 14 May 2018
Someone in southwestern Oregon is either an exceptionally terrible shot or intentionally maiming wild deer with arrows.

— amy b wang, Washington Post, "Deer in Oregon are walking around with arrows stuck in them. Police want to find the culprit.," 29 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of maim

Middle English maymen, mahaymen, from Anglo-French maheimer, mahaigner — more at mayhem

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

maim Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of maim

maim, cripple, mutilate, batter, mangle mean to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage. maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.