wound

1 of 3

noun

ˈwünd 

archaic or dialectal

ˈwau̇nd 

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 

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

ˈwau̇nd 

past tense and past participle of wind

Synonyms of wound

Verb

• damage
• injure
• hurt
• bruise

Examples of wound in a Sentence

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

Though the sequence of how they were fired is unclear, within moments a panel on the train’s interior would end up with a bullet hole, and Cabey with a serious gunshot wound. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

Deputies arrived and found the man suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. —Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Verb

Many of those affected believe that they were wounded by a secret weapon that fires a high-energy beam of microwaves or ultrasound. —CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026

Nine others were wounded in the shooting, officials said at the time. —Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 14 Jan. 2026

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

Phrases Containing wound

• flesh wound
• rub salt in/into the wound
• twist/turn the knife (in the wound)

Rhymes for wound

• bound
• browned
• crowned
• downed
• drowned
• found
• frowned
• gowned
• ground
• hound
• mound
• round

Kids Definition

wound

1 of 3 noun

ˈwünd 

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

ˈwau̇nd 

past and past participle of wind

Medical Definition

wound

1 of 2 noun

ˈwünd 

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