bruises 1 of 2

noun

plural of bruise
1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
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
Inurrieta-Martinez had facial bruises, including a black eye, in her mugshot. — Larry Seward, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026 But as has been the case in every game this year, Georgia picked up some bumps and bruises along the way. — Connor Riley, AJC.com, 8 Nov. 2026 The causes of death, the authorities reported, were suffocation and strangulation that had left no broken bones and no bruises or marks. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026 Bickelhaupt was taken to the hospital in June 2025 with two black eyes and purple and bluish bruises. — Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026 Hospital pictures displayed in court later showed the child appeared to have a large horizontal gash from one end of the forehead to the other, in addition to several bruises. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Irate, Melissa punched Nakira in the face, then used makeup to cover the bruises. — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026 The responding Oak Bluffs police officers saw bruises on her legs and a red mark on her neck, Scalice said. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Hutch seemed unhurt beyond a twisted knee, but Ed, stripped naked, was a mass of small cuts and bright greening bruises that made an awful background for ridges of clotted blood. — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruises
  1. scratches
  2. scrapes
  3. wounds
  4. contusions
  5. abrasions
  6. gashes
  7. bumps
  8. slashes
Noun
  • Using a scrub brush on your glass cooktop will create scratches over time.
    — Sarah Everett, The Spruce, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Sue Spitzer of Rockford had on her pendant made of green glass, which was smooth and glossy on top but laced with tiny white scratches on the bottom.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of scratches
Noun
  • Does, and bucks that are between does, continue checking scrapes.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Cuts and scrapes on the nonstick surface can cause it to chip or flake off, exposing the metal during cooking.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of scrapes
Verb
  • Penal Code 597 states that any person who who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal is guilty of a crime.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The kitchen wounds him, heals him, and becomes his crucible of faith.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of wounds
Noun
  • The officer suffered contusions, cuts and scrapes to his legs, though tests confirmed no broken bones.
    — Louis Casiano , Preston Mizell, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026
  • 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
Definition of contusions
Noun
  • Also avoid digging or raking over the root zone, which Abdi says can sever sensitive roots or cause abrasions, encouraging pests and diseases to enter the tree.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Left alone, dry eye can create tiny abrasions on the cornea, raise infection risk and in rare cases cause scarring that permanently affects vision.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 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
  • That process has already included some bumps, with the Heat outscored by 45 points in the 71 minutes that Adebayo and Antetokounmpo played together during its 0-4 start to the season.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
  • As his vessel pulled up to a landing ramp on one of the islands — located just off the Antarctic Peninsula — Vanstreels and his fellow researchers immediately noticed bumps in the snow.
    — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of bumps
Verb
  • At room temperature, this microscopic waiting room slashes charge loss by a 75% compared to conventional materials.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Using a sharp knife, make crosswise slashes every 2 in [5 cm] along the body, cutting down to the bone.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of slashes

Browse Nearby Words

bruised
bruises
bruising
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Cite this Entry

“Bruises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruises. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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