Synonyms of harms

harms 1 of 2

noun

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

• damages
• injuries
• detriments
• hurts
• afflictions
• insults
• injustices
• wrongs
• outrages
• affronts
• disabilities
• impairments
• indignities
• disservices
• mayhem
• wounds
• lesions
• darts
• mutilations
• scratches
• offenses
• disfigurements
• beatings
• burns
• scars
• abrasions
• ruptures
• disablements
• bruises
• swellings
• contusions
• lacerations
• defacements
• scrapes
• scalds
• strains
• gashes
• concussions
• cuts
• bumps
• sears
• chafes
• boo-boos
• scathes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recoveries
• remedies
• cures
• fixes

harms

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harm

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

• damages
• injures
• hurts
• wounds
• bruises
• scars
• tortures
• blows out
• tears
• maims
• lacerates
• abuses
• afflicts
• impairs
• cripples
• mutilates
• torments
• grazes
• scalds
• creases
• gores
• nicks
• cuts
• strains
• batters
• bloodies
• mangles
• lames
• hamstrings
• gashes
• maltreats
• scathes
• contuses
• spoils
• scrapes
• mars
• lays up
• aggrieves
• blemishes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fixes
• heals
• cures
• remedies
• mends

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

• damages
• injures
• hurts
• mars
• weakens
• cripples
• compromises
• impairs
• erodes
• spoils
• flaws
• destroys
• disfigures
• undermines
• breaks
• vitiates
• crosses (up)
• defaces
• bloodies
• blemishes
• ruins
• crabs
• wounds
• deteriorates
• shatters
• endamages
• blights
• enfeebles
• enervates
• tarnishes
• demolishes
• tortures
• wrecks
• devastates
• batters
• maims
• wears (away)
• scours
• washes out
• torments
• mutilates
• wastes
• smashes
• dents
• lacerates
• disables
• annihilates
• crushes
• botches
• decimates
• dings
• desolates
• scourges
• gums (up)
• pulverizes
• queers
• clobbers
• mangles
• wipes out
• tears down
• lames
• razes
• bashes
• hamstrings
• totals
• dints
• does in
• bangs up
• dashes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repairs
• doctors
• fixes
• helps
• reconstructs
• rebuilds
• mends
• heals
• cures
• reconditions
• remedies
• patches
• renovates
• revamps
• rectifies
• rehabilitates
• improves
• enhances
• enriches
• revises
• edits
• ameliorates
• refines
• perfects
• remodels
• betters
• meliorates

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of harms

Noun

In August, the company reached an $18 billion settlement over Facebook and Instagram’s harms to children’s mental health. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

That's a particularly big obstacle for Meta, which just agreed to an almost $17 billion settlement with a group of states that alleged the company misrepresented the extent of child mental health harms caused by apps like Facebook and Instagram. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Many in the industry, meanwhile, dismiss health harms from their product. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026

The city and county of Boulder sued Suncor and ExxonMobil under state law for contributing to climate change through global emissions, seeking significant damages for indirect harms. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Social equity measures meant to repair some of the harms of the War on Drugs on communities disproportionately affected by the criminalization of marijuana will also be key to eventual passage. — Daniel J. Mallinson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026

The calculus echoes comments from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang last month, who similarly argued that AI’s harms should be weighed against the benefits the technology can bring. — Robert Hart, The Verge, 5 Oct. 2026

This year, Newsom signed more than 10 bills aimed at keeping young people safe from the potential harms of social media sites, artificial intelligence, addictive autoplay and more. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Rodriguez attributes her child’s death to the addictive nature of social media and the harms her daughter confronted on those platforms. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Verb

Europe has long charged Beijing with deflating the yuan, by perhaps as much as 30%, and pursuing a policy of industrial overcapacity that harms European industries. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Research shows homelessness harms children, disrupting brain development and growth and leading to permanent changes in the brain and body. — Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 7 Oct. 2026

That pollution contributes to climate change and harms human health. — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 3 Oct. 2026

Cadmium is classified as a human carcinogen and harms the kidneys and bones. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026

Ground-level ozone harms human health, ecosystems and crop yields. — Dan Peck, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Local air pollution harms human health and worker productivity, while greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change. — Akshaya Jha, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026

Doing more than one thing at once, especially on screens, can become addictive, which harms the functioning of our brain and nervous system. — Jolie Kerr, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026