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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Recent Examples of bruises
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Her jeans are filthy; her blonde hair hangs in loose, greasy strings; bruises speckle her thin arms, and there’s a patch of blood above her right eye.
—Outside, 10 Mar. 2026
More footprints — faint as bruises in the overcast light — emerged on the sandstone slope at the edge of a reservoir.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Another mother, Janice Degonda, told the court that her then 5-month-old daughter came home with bruises to her leg, groin and elsewhere in July 2024.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Lloyd had multiple blunt force injuries and bruises to her head, neck, torso, arms and legs that were healed at different levels, including fractures in her ribs and left upper jaw, an autopsy report said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2026
Burns did not sustain any serious injuries and was able to walk away from the scene with just bruises, the accident report says.
—Gma Team, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
One officer was treated for bruises and scratches below his eye and another was treated for head pain.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
The driver of the white Toyota SUV, a 57-year-old man, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic in fair condition with heads lacerations and chest bruises.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Noun
Every hockey player is nursing bumps and bruises at this time of year but all of McAvoy’s have seemingly been directly to his face.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Her jeans are filthy; her blonde hair hangs in loose, greasy strings; bruises speckle her thin arms, and there’s a patch of blood above her right eye.
—Outside, 10 Mar. 2026
More footprints — faint as bruises in the overcast light — emerged on the sandstone slope at the edge of a reservoir.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Another mother, Janice Degonda, told the court that her then 5-month-old daughter came home with bruises to her leg, groin and elsewhere in July 2024.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Lloyd had multiple blunt force injuries and bruises to her head, neck, torso, arms and legs that were healed at different levels, including fractures in her ribs and left upper jaw, an autopsy report said.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2026
Burns did not sustain any serious injuries and was able to walk away from the scene with just bruises, the accident report says.
—Gma Team, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
One officer was treated for bruises and scratches below his eye and another was treated for head pain.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
The driver of the white Toyota SUV, a 57-year-old man, was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic in fair condition with heads lacerations and chest bruises.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruises
Noun
-
The soft, durable material protects the table underneath from hot plates, spilled drinks and scratches, while the pattern is fun and charming.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Don’t use the tablets on delicate surfaces like porcelain and ceramic because their strong chemicals can cause damage like scratches and dulling.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Recovery and What Comes Next At SeaWorld’s facility, the care team focused on hydrating and warming the manatee while treating cuts and scrapes on the belly and underside, as well as treating an infection.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
-
There, the team focused on hydrating and warming him while treating cuts and scrapes on his belly and underside, along with an infection.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
What once killed campaigns now barely wounds them.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Even with all of them in place, Shirley misses the masked attacker sneaking his way up to the apartment door, and Lamb’s attempt to blind him with bleach creates a chaotic struggle that wounds the assailant without containing him.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Park visitors with abrasions and contusions were taken to six Anaheim-area hospitals for treatment.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But Kaszas’ ultimate destiny had nothing to do with inflicting — or receiving — bruises, contusions or broken limbs.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Luckily for Martin, Kinzalow hopped in the driver's seat and slammed on the brakes, and Martin survived despite severe back injuries and abrasions to his extremities.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
6 Mar. 2026
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What Peter and his team do is take the negative and take the abrasions out of it and reproduce it at its highest quality.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
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Heupel spreads out his receivers in an attempt to spread out the defense, then gashes them with the run.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Whether bumps or pits, roughness or a distinct lack of luminosity, uneven skin texture impacts all of us at some point.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
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Hailey Bieber's solution to claw clip bumps?—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In addition to this, utilizing these existing tunnels and shafts significantly slashes construction costs and accelerates deployment timelines.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Congress slashes taxes, writes stimulus checks, and fattens unemployment-insurance payouts.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bruises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruises. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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