Thesaurus results for BRUISE

bruise 1 of 2

noun

ˈbrüz

Definition of bruise

as in scratch

a bodily injury in which small blood vessels are broken but the overlying skin is not she got quite a big bruise from walking into the corner of the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in scrape

an area of skin roughened or worn away by harsh rubbing against another surface bruises caused by ill-fitting hiking boots

Synonyms & Similar Words

bruise

2 of 2

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of bruise

Noun

The shortstop is day to day after exiting Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians with a left wrist bruise. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 His other hand sweeps by me and bruises into my brother’s face. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

The operatives take the drives and release Jane, who is bruised and bloodied. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 June 2026 Much of his speech and remarks from other officials speaking at the convention Friday focused on party unity after a bruising primary season, where Democrats are hoping to capitalize on what could be a vulnerable year for Republicans. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bruise

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruise

Noun

The disease, which spreads through bites and scratches from infected animals, is most commonly carried by bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks.

— Gagandeep Singh, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Henri Jokiharju The right-shot defenseman, who is entering the second season of a three-year, $9 million contract, served as a healthy scratch for four of the Bruins’ six playoff games against the Sabres.

— Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of scratch

Noun

Millions of users have unknowingly become proxy nodes after installing free VPNs or dubious browser extensions, allowing attackers to create fake accounts, scrape data at scale and commit promo and payment fraud.

— Dan Pinto, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Such play could have caused superficial abrasions and scrapes, offering the bacterium an opening.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of scrape

Verb

Among those killed and wounded were police officers attending prayers at the mosque.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Casualties tallied by the Pentagon have included 18 dead and more than 830 wounded, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System.

— Ben Finley, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of wound

Noun

The Diamondbacks later announced Perdomo suffered a head contusion.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo left Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Houston Astros with a head contusion after being struck in the helmet by a line drive from Ketel Marte in the third inning.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of contusion

Verb

Walker ran for 103 yards with the Seahawks against the Broncos in the 2024 season opener, gashing Denver for more than 80 yards in the third quarter alone.

— Jesse Newell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
With Miami’s inability to stop the run, the Raiders were able to gash the Dolphins in the play action.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of gash

Noun

Since that 2018 estimate, Hargitay has likely received salary bumps and now earns significantly more per episode.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 14 Sep. 2026
Carter Thornton, born in October 2024 – welcomed Astro Monte Thornton in the spring, according to Raz-B's May 18 Instagram post featuring a series of photos of the family and the musician cradling Mona Li Thornton's bump.

— Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of bump

Verb

Afterward, Lindsay slit her wrists and neck, then jumped out of a second-story window.

— Selena Barrientos, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
Instead Justine shows up to slit his throat and take the baby from him, leaving him for dead; the child winds up disappearing with Holtz into a hell dimension.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of slit

Browse Nearby Words

browsing

bruise

bruised

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Bruise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruise. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bruise

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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