HARMS Synonyms: 151 Similar and Opposite Words

harms 1 of 2

noun

Definition of harms next

plural of harm

as in damages

something that causes loss or pain you were lucky to survive the fire without harm no harm in trying

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harms

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harm

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

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as in hurts

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the company's reputation has been harmed by allegations of crooked accounting

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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

Noun

But guidelines seek to balance the benefits of catching cancer early with possible harms, such as stress and pain from investigating suspicious spots that don't turn out to be cancerous. —

ABC News, 16 May 2026 By providing nicotine to users without the harms from cigarette smoking, the pouches are now formally considered by the FDA to be a harm reduction aid for smokers who wish to quit and reduce exposure to toxic substances. —

Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 The government, Anti-Slavery International, said, must push forward the introduction of a Business, Human Rights and Environment Act that creates a legal duty on businesses to identify, prevent and address human rights and environmental harms. —

Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 15 May 2026 Concerns about whether antidepressants cause harms to developing fetuses, including neurodevelopmental disorders, have grown in recent years. —

Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 14 May 2026 The update reflects the state’s evolving understanding of its most dangerous pollutants, which has shifted over the decades from visible pollutants, such as smog, to more invisible ones that cause cancer, heart disease and other health harms. —

Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026 OpenAI has argued that Musk waited too long and cannot claim harms that occurred before August 2021. —

Matt O'Brien, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026 At a certain point, not even a generous tip seems like enough to offset these harms. —

Shannon Keating, Time, 8 May 2026 Claiming there were no factual disputes to weigh, the majority agreed that plaintiffs showed that harms from unlawful tariffs were imminent and ongoing, requiring relief in the form of a permanent injunction that must be granted once the court reached a decision on how to interpret the statute. —

Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

Verb

But when the pressure to succeed remains high, and the cost/difficulty of AI tools remains low, many students are tempted to take a shortcut, even one that ultimately harms them. —

Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026 And, like its predecessors, this picture tries to present an innocent image of a product that harms human health and the environment. —

Annie Persons, The Conversation, 7 May 2026 No matter the method, every variation of this practice harms audiences, artists, venues and the live entertainment industry. —

Lori Dimun, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026 Cerda says this Latino wealth gap report is important because the immigration crackdown of undocumented Latino people leads to uncertainty about their futures, the inability to be promoted or to apply for other jobs because of their undocumented status, which ultimately harms Texas’ economy. —

Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026 Throwing food waste like apple cores out of your car window harms wildlife, ecosystems, and the outdoor experience. —

Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 2 May 2026 By spacing screenings to every two years, the ACP argues the tradeoff between early detection and minimizing those harms shifts in most women’s favor. —

Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2026 Lead impairs cognition and cadmium harms the kidneys. —

Anton L. Delgado, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026 This activity harms unique ecosystems and significantly impacts artisanal and small-scale fishers in the region. —

Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harms

Noun

Still, the agreement had left the door open for the Gossip Girl alum to seek damages and legal fees—though that option appears to be unavailable for the time being.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 13 May 2026
While Capital One's lawsuit seeks damages, the bank said its primary goal of the litigation is to expose and deter bad actors and the firms that enable them.

— Stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 13 May 2026