as in damages
something that causes loss or pain
you were lucky to survive the fire without harm no harm in trying
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in injures
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hurts
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of harms
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Those not chronically online might instinctively recoil at the term brain rot, with its vaguely gory connotations, especially as concern about the potential harms of social media for adolescents mounts.
—Safiyah Riddle, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Geier, a close Kennedy ally and longtime critic of vaccines, has been on the CDC campus for weeks, probing the agency’s data for potential harms from immunizations, according to three people with knowledge of recent events at the CDC.
—Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Environmental groups support paying farmers to leave flood-prone land because floodwater that spreads across farm fields washes fertilizer, pesticides and other chemicals into rivers, causing a range of down-river harms.
—Molly Parker, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
Despite compelling evidence of the harms of infection and contradicting the CDC’s own recommendations, Kennedy has excluded pregnant women and children from receiving boosters.
—Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Much of the harms associated with social media stems from social comparison.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Usually these harms were inflicted by a caregiver – a parent, stepparent, grandparent or other guardian.
—Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Across the states, many legislative efforts are underway to rein in AI companies and mitigate AI’s harms.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 Aug. 2025
Leonard Martin Schmedding, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Cannon said Biden's four-month limit on these plans harms people who become ill while they are covered.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Bowers argued that while stronger research is welcome, cutting off services altogether harms real people.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2025
But seemingly backing Musk's complaints without much evidence, the FTC continues to amplify his conspiracy theory that sharing brand safety standards harms competition in the ad industry.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Recognizing a Palestinian state under the authority of the PLO harms Hamas and rewards the patient diplomacy and commitment to peace of its rivals in Fatah.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Power plants emit particulate matter, which harms fenceline communities the most, but also travels to other areas on the wind.
—Sarah Henry, The Courier-Journal, 18 Aug. 2025
This solution also harms other insects like bees and butterflies, creating long-term environmental risks.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
Warming caused by fossil fuel emissions harms the natural world and people, especially the poor and future generations.
—Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
One of the harms and dangers facing the country is precisely this state of 'no war, no peace,' which is not good.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Those not chronically online might instinctively recoil at the term brain rot, with its vaguely gory connotations, especially as concern about the potential harms of social media for adolescents mounts.
—Safiyah Riddle, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Geier, a close Kennedy ally and longtime critic of vaccines, has been on the CDC campus for weeks, probing the agency’s data for potential harms from immunizations, according to three people with knowledge of recent events at the CDC.
—Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Environmental groups support paying farmers to leave flood-prone land because floodwater that spreads across farm fields washes fertilizer, pesticides and other chemicals into rivers, causing a range of down-river harms.
—Molly Parker, ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
Despite compelling evidence of the harms of infection and contradicting the CDC’s own recommendations, Kennedy has excluded pregnant women and children from receiving boosters.
—Judy Stone, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Much of the harms associated with social media stems from social comparison.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Usually these harms were inflicted by a caregiver – a parent, stepparent, grandparent or other guardian.
—Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Across the states, many legislative efforts are underway to rein in AI companies and mitigate AI’s harms.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
Avoid common pitfalls such as poor voice quality that harms brand perception, over-automating emotional interactions too soon and rolling out systems without strong human fallback options.
—Leonard Martin Schmedding, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Cannon said Biden's four-month limit on these plans harms people who become ill while they are covered.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Bowers argued that while stronger research is welcome, cutting off services altogether harms real people.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2025
But seemingly backing Musk's complaints without much evidence, the FTC continues to amplify his conspiracy theory that sharing brand safety standards harms competition in the ad industry.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Recognizing a Palestinian state under the authority of the PLO harms Hamas and rewards the patient diplomacy and commitment to peace of its rivals in Fatah.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Power plants emit particulate matter, which harms fenceline communities the most, but also travels to other areas on the wind.
—Sarah Henry, The Courier-Journal, 18 Aug. 2025
This solution also harms other insects like bees and butterflies, creating long-term environmental risks.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2025
Warming caused by fossil fuel emissions harms the natural world and people, especially the poor and future generations.
—Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harms
Noun
-
The judge declined to grant substantial monetary damages to the husband, however.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The complaint says McNeil suffered a range of injuries from the incident, including a concussion, and seeks $200,000 in damages.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If a dog that has not been officially declared dangerous severely injures or kills a person when unprovoked, authorities may confiscate the dog, and the dog’s owner is liable for the incident.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This is an inflammatory condition in which swelling injures the optic nerve, disrupting the transmission of visual information from the eye to the brain.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The object may slip or the line may blur, but what hurts more is the sense of exclusion.—
Bill Schiffmiller,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
As Dexter questions why Batista’s death hurts so much, Brian chastises his brother for listening to Harry too much.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their starting quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a left shoulder and toe injuries during the 49ers 17-13 Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Kirk, a father of two, was rushed to the hospital following the shooting, but later died of his injuries.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Set against Mumbai’s relentless pulse, their delicate connection faces tests as personal histories, desires, and wounds resurface.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
No policy wounds Tibetan dignity more profoundly than attempts to co-opt its spiritual and institutional heart.—
Tenzin Dorjee,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Any delay in release weakens hatchlings and affects their survival rates.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Beyond 100 people, culture often fragments, communication distorts and the founder’s vision weakens.—
Jonathan Low,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
An ongoing alien siege cripples the world’s militaries, infrastructure, and communication centers but Will can run Premiere Pro, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and remote control a Tesla all at the same time.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harms. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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