wound

1 of 3

noun

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
archaic or dialectal
ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wound (audio)
1
a
: an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (such as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues
b
: a cut or breach in a plant usually due to an external agent
2
: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
3
: something resembling a wound in appearance or effect
especially : a rift in or blow to a political body or social group

wound

2 of 3

verb

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
 archaic or dialectal  ˈwau̇nd
wounded; wounding; wounds

transitive verb

: to cause a wound to or in

intransitive verb

: to inflict a wound

wound

3 of 3

past tense and past participle of wind

Example Sentences

Noun She suffered a knife wound to her thigh. Her mother's scorn left a wound that never healed. Verb Four people were seriously wounded in the explosion. The soldier's leg was wounded by a grenade. Losing the match wounded his pride.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Law enforcement located the vehicle, which was riddled with bullet holes, as well as a man lying on the ground near the car with a gunshot wound. Emma Colton, Fox News, 2 May 2023 Southeast District officers responded to the shooting at the business on the 2500 block of Boston Street about 4:25 p.m. Sunday, and found a 22-year-old man, an employee of the store, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, police said in a news release. Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 1 May 2023 The girl died on March 2 of sepsis due to the infection of her wound, a medical examiner determined. Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 1 May 2023 Officers and medics performed first aid at the scene and Kjostad was taken to a nearby hospital, where he’s still being treated for the gunshot wound, police said Monday night. Savannaheadens, oregonlive, 1 May 2023 Officers responded to Fifth and Shipley streets around 4:35 a.m. and found the victim with an apparent gunshot wound, authorities said. Joel Umanzor, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 May 2023 Police made contact with an adult female who was suffering from a gunshot wound. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 22 Apr. 2023 Deputies arrived at the scene and found a man between 45 and 50 years old suffering from a stab wound. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2023 The skull showed evidence of a gunshot wound, possibly from a .32-caliber bullet. Thomas Lake, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2023
Verb
Eight people, including two Louisville police officers, were also injured, including Officer Nickolas Wilt, who was critically wounded. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 14 Apr. 2023 Russia names suspect in restaurant bombing that killed blogger Russia's Federal Security Service on Thursday accused a Ukrainian man of organizing the St. Petersburg restaurant bombing that killed pro-Kremlin military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and wounded dozens more. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2023 The document says the FSB claimed the actual figure of Russian dead and wounded was closer to 110,000, a far higher figure than what has publicly acknowledged by the Kremlin. Camilla Schick, Olivia Gazis, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2023 As the fighters headed toward the man’s compound at about 1 a.m., a sniper fired, wounding one of Tabesh’s men. Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2023 Despite being wounded, police said Zwerner ushered her students out of the classroom to safety and was the last person to leave the room. Mark Guarino, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2023 The attack left 10 dead, all of them Black, and wounded three more. Shane Harris And Samuel Oakford, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Apr. 2023 Of the eight people who were wounded, a 26-year-old police officer remains in critical condition after being shot in the head, requiring brain surgery. Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 13 Apr. 2023 Body camera footage from Louisville Metro Police officers Nickolas Wilt and Cory Galloway, who were both wounded during Monday's attack at Old National Bank, show the tense moments just after the shooter fatally shot five people inside the complex. Madeline Mitchell, The Courier-Journal, 12 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English wund; akin to Old High German wunta wound

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of wound was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wound

Cite this Entry

“Wound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wound. Accessed 6 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

wound

1 of 3 noun
1
: an injury involving cutting or breaking of bodily tissue (as by violence, accident, or surgery)
2
: an injury to a person's feelings

wound

2 of 3 verb
1
: to hurt by cutting or breaking bodily tissue
the broken glass wounded several people
2
: to hurt the feelings or pride of
his remark wounded her

wound

3 of 3

past and past participle of wind

Medical Definition

wound

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a physical injury to the body consisting of a laceration or breaking of the skin or mucous membrane often with damage to underlying tissue
has a deep festering knife wound across the palm
a gunshot wound
b
: an opening made in the skin or a membrane of the body incidental to a surgical operation or procedure
infection of a surgical wound
2
: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
emotional wounds of childhood

wound

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to cause a wound to or in

More from Merriam-Webster on wound

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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