as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
nobody gave a darn about us when we were poor, but now that we are rich, we have friends we never knew about!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
variants
also durn
as in cursed
deserving of one's condemnation or displeasure
I can't seem to tie this darn shoe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 darn
Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Fifty-six years later, the company is still carrying on that mission and delivering some pretty darned exhilarating performances in the process.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
Well, so much for that, though Indy does look like a pretty darn salty group.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darn
Verb
In most of the middle and eastern parts of North America, the local woods get pretty darned dry at some point during the summer.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Fifty-six years later, the company is still carrying on that mission and delivering some pretty darned exhilarating performances in the process.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
CatVideoFest 2025 has clawed past the $1 million mark, an achievement for the franchise launched in 2016 by filmmaker Will Braden, who apparently does a darn good job curating the best cat videos from across global social media.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
Well, so much for that, though Indy does look like a pretty darn salty group.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for darn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darn
Noun
-
Even for those in the North who didn’t care a damn for the four million held in brutal bondage, or those who wanted a soft, conciliatory approach, the war began to take on new and moral meaning.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
At the start, the project required building a damn to drain the water from the facade.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The stitch-by-stitch repetition offers a calming rhythm in a chaotic world.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
All those old versions of me were stitched into these garments.—
Junnelle Hogen,
Outside,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Her sixth novel, Play Nice reads like The Amityville Horror through a cursed Instagram filter.—
Neil McRobert,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The series follows a Louvre art restorer who uncovers a cursed Mesopotamian mask tied to the storm god Baal Phegor, drawing her into a web of disappearances and dark secrets.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Though married to Betty Jo (Jeanne Tripplehorn, a hoot in femme-fatale mode), Dale was rumored to be gay.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Milvia Marigliano is a hoot as Coco Vulori, an old dear friend with some very loud opinions to express, and maybe the key to helping DeSantis solve his wife’s onetime unfaithfulness.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The travelogue portion of Walking the Bypass is sutured, sometimes maladroitly, to a history of the Crown’s abuses of Indigenous peoples.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
On occasion, doctors might even inject botulinum toxin after suturing if incisions are in areas of especially high tension (on the face, sternum, or near joints), Dr. Gould tells me.—
Jolene Edgar,
Allure,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
An allied assertion is that if AI generates foul code, tell the AI to get its act together and fix the darned stuff.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Now working for United Airlines as an avionics technician at Newark Liberty International Airport, repairing plane engines and electrical systems, the 25-year-old has already doubled her investment in the program and makes over six-figures.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The Wisconsin native was charged with repairing bridges within the department, campus and community that Addazio had neglected or damaged.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Again, the idea of the freaking Crimson Tide celebrating a win over Vandy is just as bizarre as Vandy being in a big game to begin with.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Some accredited investors have 'no freaking clue' Even investors who already qualify as accredited could welcome, and benefit from, such a test, experts say.—
Stephanie Dhue,
CNBC,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Darn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darn. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share