Thesaurus results for BRUISES

bruises 1 of 2

noun

plural of bruise

as in scratches

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

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as in scrapes

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

bruises

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bruise

as in wounds

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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 bruises

Noun

Ball State is selling its Saturday afternoon and accepting a few bruises for nearly $2 million. — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Corle escaped the incident relatively unscathed except for a few bruises and a bite wound on his arm. — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026 The other cop warns him not to leave any bruises on Jacob’s face. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026 One of the book’s more memorable revelations details a physical altercation with his brother that Harry claimed left him with cuts and bruises. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026 According to court records, police found Dunn deceased in a motel room with bruises on her body, including her neck and face, and her eyelids were swollen and discolored. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 The woman went to the hospital where a nurse noticed several cuts and bruises around her body, charges said. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 The warrants indicated that the child’s body was covered in bruises, including one that resembled a shoe print, per the outlet. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026 When the teenage Elia Gheorghiu turns up at school with bruises on her body, the community asks itself if the traditional education the children receive from their parents might have anything to do with it. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruises

Noun

From a functionality perspective, fireclay is non-porous and resists stains, scratches, and everyday wear while maintaining its appearance over time, says Bartel.

— Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 10 Sep. 2026
Barry Morphew was seen on video buffing scratches on the other driver's car with a T-shirt and his hand.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of scratches

Noun

Pack a tube of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in your first aid kit instead of antibiotic ointment and remember to flush all scrapes and cuts with copious amounts of clean water before covering them with the jelly.

— Dr. Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
This follows previous scrapes of the dataset posted on Reddit (since taken down by the original poster) and the AI model clearinghouse Hugging Face.

— Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of scrapes

Noun

The shattered glass allegedly caused multiple small lacerations to the victim's face, which were visible to officers during the report, along with multiple contusions to the face.

— CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
The warrant states an autopsy found Murphy had contusions on her body in various stages of healing.

— KC Baker, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Definition of contusions

Noun

His injuries also included a strained AC joint in his shoulder and abrasions on his face, the affidavit states.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Leading the charge in technology is Goatek, a proprietary outsole platform that Nike says delivers a 45 percent improvement in wet traction and 25 percent greater resistance to abrasions compared to previous ACG outsoles.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of abrasions

Verb

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made similar claims in television interviews in early July, saying on Fox News that vandals left gashes totaling 350 feet.

— Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 16 July 2026
The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.

— Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of gashes

Noun

This device uses a beam of inert argon ions to smooth microscopic bumps without disturbing the sample’s underlying chemistry, eliminating the false signals.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Jangale remembers software errors and a drivetrain that proved too weak to roll over soft bumps in initial tests.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of bumps

Verb

The background of the film is the budget slashes that are happening in this sector all over the Western world, as the government withdraws its own form of care.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Critics argue the effort slashes the limited due process immigrants receive.

— Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of slashes

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bruised

bruises

bruising

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“Bruises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruises. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bruises

noun

verb

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