self-harm

noun

ˌself-ˈhärm 

: the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism

An acute change in mood that persists for weeks or is associated with thoughts of self-harm should not be ignored.

—John Williamson

called also self-injury, self-mutilation

self-harm intransitive verb

self-harmed; self-harming; self-harms

teenagers who self-harm

Examples of self-harm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meta has launched a new Instagram feature notifying parents if their teen's Meta AI chat indicates self-harm or suicidal ideation. — Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

May talked about her gender but also what sounded like contemplations of self-harm. — Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 18 July 2026

To cope, Nick seems to be turning to alcohol, while Charlie continues to struggle with self-harm ideation and an eating disorder. — David MacK, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Team effort Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg is crediting the department’s officers and telecommunicators for their quick actions in locating someone who was in danger of self-harm. — Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-harm

• alarm
• disarm
• forearm
• gendarme
• nonfarm
• rearm
• arm
• charm
• farm
• harm
• firearm
• underarm

Kids Definition

self-harm

noun

ˌself-ˈhärm 

: the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism