maim

verb \ ˈmām \

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

And why would Florida want to grant a special statutory protection to people who maim or kill others?

— scott maxwell, OrlandoSentinel.com, "A law to protect drivers who run over protesters? Yes, really. But senator speaks, rethinks," 14 Aug. 2017
After years of control, much like in the Iraqi city of Mosul, the terrorist group has likely perfected the ability to conceal and plant mines and other devices that will maim and kill people long after the battle is over.

— Washington Post, "In Raqqa, a battle of attrition as civilians flee in shock," 7 Aug. 2017
Kristen Shamus His career in medicine began when doctors still made house calls, before the advent of the measles vaccine and the pacemaker, and when polio epidemics maimed and killed by the thousands.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "Prescription for life: Dr. John Dorsey, 90, looks back on 60 years in medicine," 31 July 2017
But not unlike Halep—who, ironically was the culprit as well—Svitolina is coming off a confidence-maiming French Open. 5.

— SI.com, "Wimbledon 2017 women's seed report," 1 July 2017
According to her organization's assessment, most of the returnees are facing psychological trauma while others were maimed by the insurgents or suffered long-lasting injuries while trying to escape.

— nelly ating, CNN, "They survived Boko Haram, now returnees are fighting hunger," 29 June 2017
The search for Tristan has damaged her sense of self, maimed her marriage and distorted past and present, transforming a fraught relationship with her difficult son into a more media-friendly narrative.

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "Review: ‘In a Word’ Grapples With Loss and Language," 28 June 2017
How many citizens have been beaten, broken, psychologically scarred, maimed, or worst?

— lincoln blades, Teen Vogue, "Outrage Over Police Brutality Shouldn't Require a Dead, Unarmed Body," 28 June 2017
Characters maim, murder and munch on each other while pumping iron and blasting Ace of Base in Amirpour’s dystopian vision of America.

— jen yamato, latimes.com, "Ana Lily Amirpour shoots from the gut with dystopian cannibal love story 'The Bad Batch'," 25 June 2017

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

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maim Synonyms

Synonyms

cripple, disable, incapacitate, lame, mutilate

Related Words

dismember, hamstring, hobble, paralyze; batter, bruise, bung up, mangle, maul, rough (up); gore, lacerate, wing, wound; disfigure, scar; kneecap; break, damage, harm, hurt, impair, injure; bash, beat, belt, bludgeon, buffet, drub, hammer, lace, lambaste (or lambast), lick, paste, pelt, pommel, pound, pummel, thump; bang, box, hit, punch, slap, smack, smash, sock, spank, swat, swipe, thrash, thwack, whack; flog, lash, wallop, whip; kill, murder; torment, torture

Near Antonyms

cure, heal, rehabilitate, remedy; doctor, fix, mend, patch; rejuvenate, renew, repair, restore

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.