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
Relevance
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
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 harms
Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026
Their choices can either reinforce harms or reduce them.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Numerous studies that have been done over decades have ruled out harms such as a link between the vitamin K shot and childhood cancer, the CDC says.
—Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2026
As my colleague Howard Blume wrote, a legal challenge with an anonymous LAUSD parent mentioned is seeking to dismantle protections for disadvantaged students of color that were originally put in place to comply with a court order meant to lessen the harms of segregation in our schools.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Binge drinking places acute stress on the body and significantly increases the risk of injuries and other immediate harms.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
These might be physical harms caused by laboratory techniques or harms stemming from deviations in the traditional family structure.
—Zubin Master, STAT, 20 Jan. 2026
Restorative justice programs bring together survivors and offenders — via meetings or letters or through community panels — to try to deepen understanding, promote healing and discuss how best to make amends for a wide range of harms.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Modernizing infrastructure requires trade-off judgments; legal processes can’t determine whether, for example, the benefits of a transmission line outweigh the harms of cutting through a pristine forest.
—Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Michael Phillis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But bullying is a next-level threat that harms children on both sides of the conflict, with short term as well as long term consequences.
—Dr. Mahvash Madni, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
This harms the economy and families.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
These cases argue that platform design harms student mental health and disrupts learning environments.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
That harms many students and is a disaster for children with dyslexia.
—David Owen, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
This lack of accountability stresses the system and harms patients.
—Emily Boss, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Etienne warned that uncertainty around TPS destabilizes the healthcare workforce and harms patients who rely on continuity of care.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
In addition to mitigating potential harms to communities and consumers, the legislature should also examine AI’s impact on public education.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 25 Jan. 2026
Their choices can either reinforce harms or reduce them.
—Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Numerous studies that have been done over decades have ruled out harms such as a link between the vitamin K shot and childhood cancer, the CDC says.
—Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 23 Jan. 2026
As my colleague Howard Blume wrote, a legal challenge with an anonymous LAUSD parent mentioned is seeking to dismantle protections for disadvantaged students of color that were originally put in place to comply with a court order meant to lessen the harms of segregation in our schools.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Binge drinking places acute stress on the body and significantly increases the risk of injuries and other immediate harms.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
These might be physical harms caused by laboratory techniques or harms stemming from deviations in the traditional family structure.
—Zubin Master, STAT, 20 Jan. 2026
Restorative justice programs bring together survivors and offenders — via meetings or letters or through community panels — to try to deepen understanding, promote healing and discuss how best to make amends for a wide range of harms.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Modernizing infrastructure requires trade-off judgments; legal processes can’t determine whether, for example, the benefits of a transmission line outweigh the harms of cutting through a pristine forest.
—Philip K. Howard, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
Perchlorate particularly harms infants and children by damaging thyroid function and lowering IQ, with contamination concentrated in the Southwest and East Coast.
—Michael Phillis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2026
But bullying is a next-level threat that harms children on both sides of the conflict, with short term as well as long term consequences.
—Dr. Mahvash Madni, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
This harms the economy and families.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
These cases argue that platform design harms student mental health and disrupts learning environments.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Dec. 2025
That harms many students and is a disaster for children with dyslexia.
—David Owen, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
This lack of accountability stresses the system and harms patients.
—Emily Boss, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Etienne warned that uncertainty around TPS destabilizes the healthcare workforce and harms patients who rely on continuity of care.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
Singling us out as victims of multiracialism alienates us from our fellow-South Africans and harms relationships that have been fostered over the past 30 years.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harms
Noun
-
That had followed a a long-running case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), in which he was awarded damages.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
22 Jan. 2026
-
This marks Harry’s third time suing a major newspaper group, having previously taken legal action against The Sun owner News Group Newspapers, which settled before trial, as well as The Mirror Group, a case in which he was awareded £140,600 in damages.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
29 Dec. 2025
-
In self-defense, Franck's group injures one of the attackers.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In seismic papers, Borjas’s research described the drawbacks of immigration, including his oft-cited, though much-disputed, findings that the arrival of lower-skilled immigrants hurts American workers who compete for jobs, especially poor people and African Americans.—
Lauren Kaori Gurley,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
That one still hurts a little bit.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Maye is unable to participate because of the Patriots advancing to the Super Bowl, while Herbert and Allen dealt with injuries at the end of their seasons.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Since mid-2025, federal immigration agents, including ICE officers, have shot at people at least 16 times during enforcement operations, resulting in multiple injuries and four confirmed deaths.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What once killed campaigns now barely wounds them.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
The picture exudes both grace and vulnerability, and hints at imperfection by way of a disconcerting, coral-like wrinkle that mars the foot’s heel.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
When CEOs treat financial advice as a substitute for judgment, leadership starts to erode, decisions slow down, and conviction weakens.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Trump’s focus on the Western Hemisphere — as a show of might that weakens China’s geostrategic influence, Nikkei wrote.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Scarface and friends attack the lab, and break out the kryptonite that cripples El and Kali.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harms. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
