: the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism
Although most cutters are young women who have been emotionally, sexually, or physically abused as children, [Marilee] Strong's research shows that this specific type of self-harm also appears in other groups.Maria Simson et al.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He's done thousands of tattoos for people wanting to cover up scars from domestic abuse, human trafficking, self-harm and more. Kai McNamee, NPR, 27 Sep. 2025 Byrant said threatening self-harm was the only way to get Glisson to listen, according to police. Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Sep. 2025 There's something that's almost self-harming about it for him. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 26 Sep. 2025 Repression, self-harm, substance abuse, bullying, jealousy, emotional abuse, and even allusions to grooming, among other terrors of the fog, keep the tensions high from start to finish. Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for self-harm

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-harm was in 1983

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-harm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-harm. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

self-harm

noun
: the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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