1
as in damaging
to cause bodily damage to
though she wasn't harmed by the flying glass, she slipped and fell on a piece and cut her hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in injuring
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the company's reputation has been harmed by allegations of crooked accounting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harming
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by inaccurately reporting account information to credit bureaus, potentially harming consumers' credit scores.
—
Julia Gomez, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Storms and heavy rain in recent days have also eaten away at long stretches of coastline on the Ionian Sea, from Ugento to the beaches of Gallipoli, damaging beach structures, causing small cliff falls and harming ports.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
The reflective foil discourages unwanted insects and pests like slugs from approaching and harming the plants, but actually helps to attract butterflies.
—Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
Apply coffee grounds sparingly—once every two to four months—to avoid compacting soil and harming your plant.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 17 Feb. 2026
Airlines canceled flights and cultural events were postponed as Cuba endures its worst fuel shortage in years, harming tourism and the broader economy.
—Andrea Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
There are federal laws, of course, against injuring, harming, threatening federal authorities, so there is that.
—CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026
Court records show in the last year, numerous other members of 764 and similar groups have been charged with exploiting and harming minors.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
This study, put together by Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, shows almost a third of pregnant people worry about harming their baby through exercise, and 24% feel unsure about what’s actually safe.
—Hannah Silverman, Parents, 8 Feb. 2026
Julia Gomez, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
Storms and heavy rain in recent days have also eaten away at long stretches of coastline on the Ionian Sea, from Ugento to the beaches of Gallipoli, damaging beach structures, causing small cliff falls and harming ports.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
The reflective foil discourages unwanted insects and pests like slugs from approaching and harming the plants, but actually helps to attract butterflies.
—Darcy Lenz, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
Apply coffee grounds sparingly—once every two to four months—to avoid compacting soil and harming your plant.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 17 Feb. 2026
Airlines canceled flights and cultural events were postponed as Cuba endures its worst fuel shortage in years, harming tourism and the broader economy.
—Andrea Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
There are federal laws, of course, against injuring, harming, threatening federal authorities, so there is that.
—CBS News, 15 Feb. 2026
Court records show in the last year, numerous other members of 764 and similar groups have been charged with exploiting and harming minors.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
This study, put together by Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, shows almost a third of pregnant people worry about harming their baby through exercise, and 24% feel unsure about what’s actually safe.
—Hannah Silverman, Parents, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harming
Verb
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McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
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This will keep other items from damaging the leather, as well as keep it dust free.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Department of Homeland Security accused protesters of injuring two federal officers and hitting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer with a rock during a downtown student protest on Friday.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
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At some point, police and prosecutors say shots were fired, injuring a local police officer.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ask an arborist to assess whether the tree is at risk of falling and hurting people or property.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The Texas Legislature had just gutted the public education budget by $5 billion, directly hurting my students.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate, along with Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, were ejected for fighting, marring what was an intriguing game between the top team in the Eastern Conference and the one featuring the NBA’s longest current win streak.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The gunman, later identified by police as 35-year-old Patrick Madison, fired at officers, wounding Gasco.—
Mike Toole,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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The shooting started after Neves Valente entered a study session in a Brown academic building and opened fire on students, killing 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and wounding nine others.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That would seem to drive some urgency among Democrats, but many are not in a compromising mood to provide more dollars to immigration enforcement.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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Due to the intensity of the fire compromising the structure, Sacramento Fire says crews have taken a defensive posture.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unbalanced Or Leaning Tree A weakening root system or poor pruning practices can cause a tree to lean to one side.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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My opponent, Tim O’Hare, has led with ideology and performative politics, reducing transparency, weakening public participation, and creating financial instability through deficit-style budgeting and reserve spending.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harming. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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