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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Noun

Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced in February that the country plans to limit social media access for children under 16, in a move designed to shield young people from the harms of online content. —

ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 Many are pinning their hopes on the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill aimed at protecting kids from the harms of social media, gaming sites and other online platforms. —

Barbara Ortutay, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 And a cohort of American consumers, siding with the plaintiff, determined that the platforms are defective products, distributed to the public without proper safeguards or warnings about their potential harms. —

Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026 The plaintiffs argue that sportsbook apps—especially when offering live, rapid and in-play wagering options known as microbetting—cause addictions that in turn lead to financial, family and career harms. —

Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Mar. 2026 The jurors found that Meta, which owns Instagram, and YouTube, owned by Google, were negligent in designing their products and failing to warn users about potential harms. —

Editorial Board, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2026 This is a red flag for critics, who say this could result in a way to shield AI companies from being held liable for harms. —

Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2026 Supply chain due diligence should also address wage violations, unsafe workplaces, restrictions on workers’ freedom of association and environmental harms. —

Anna Bryher, Sourcing Journal, 20 Mar. 2026 Design can help support these goals, creating environments that reinforce healthy habits, help protect us from environmental harms, and boost our mental well-being. —

Diana Budds, Architectural Digest, 19 Mar. 2026

Verb

Last month, tech executives, including Meta’s chief executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, testified in a landmark trial in Los Angeles over a lawsuit that alleges social media is addictive and harms children. —

Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026 Cancer vaccine misinformation harms health At first glance, fringe claims such as turbo cancer may seem easy to dismiss. —

Dannell D. Boatman, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026 This decrease, in turn, lessens the force responsible for fibrosis, a buildup of scar tissue that harms organs. —

Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026 Hospital cost inflation also harms the clinicians tasked with delivering care inside these systems. —

Linda D. Gadd, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2026 Pew, which is probably the main source of evidence here, in 2024, found that one-quarter of girls say that social media harms their mental health. —

David Remnick, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026 That especially harms people with disabilities who need prompt access to records. —

Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 11 Mar. 2026 Former residents say the loss of homes, land, and businesses erased opportunities to build generational wealth — harms a new fund is intended to acknowledge through cash payments. —

Ara Rosenthal, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026 And that harms the health, wellbeing and future of Iowa’s children. —

Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register, 5 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harms

Noun

While the $6 million in damages a jury in Los Angeles awarded to the 20-year-old plaintiff — which the companies vowed to appeal — will barely register on their balance sheets, the impact of the verdict will likely be more damaging and harder to quantify.

— Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026
The judge has final say over how much damages are awarded.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026