1
as in aches
to feel or cause physical pain
my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in injures
to cause bodily damage to
the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grieves
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
in her hurt she said a lot of things to her boyfriend that she didn't really mean
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harms
something that causes loss or pain
a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurts
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Feb. 2026
That is a failure of leadership that hurts everyone.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
That just hurts you to your gut.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
As a lone nominee from a horror film, that hurts her chances.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
In addition, a labor strike hurts every other league … in one way or another.
—Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Sure, flashing a championship ring on a recruiting trip never hurts.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Trade alternatives Multiple free agent options at first base surely hurts the trade market for Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz (Mountcastle, in particular, seems to have very little role to play in Baltimore at this point).
—Chad Jennings, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Closing on Saturday not only hurts the service staff’s pockets but the owner’s as well.
—Samantha Husted, Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026
Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Being rejected hurts, and finding success may not erase the emotional residue of all those prior rebuffs.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
That case also crashed and burned in court and has been seen by critics as another example of an unnecessary prosecution that hurts the DOJ’s accountability image.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Feb. 2026
That is a failure of leadership that hurts everyone.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
That just hurts you to your gut.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
As a lone nominee from a horror film, that hurts her chances.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
In addition, a labor strike hurts every other league … in one way or another.
—Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Sure, flashing a championship ring on a recruiting trip never hurts.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Trade alternatives Multiple free agent options at first base surely hurts the trade market for Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz (Mountcastle, in particular, seems to have very little role to play in Baltimore at this point).
—Chad Jennings, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Closing on Saturday not only hurts the service staff’s pockets but the owner’s as well.
—Samantha Husted, Charlotte Observer, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
Modern play calling insists on going for it on fourth downs, particularly in the opponent’s territory, because converting on fourth down helps more than failing to convert on fourth down hurts.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Being rejected hurts, and finding success may not erase the emotional residue of all those prior rebuffs.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurts
Verb
-
This loss is unexpected and surreal, and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.—
Christine Imarenezor,
VIBE.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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This loss is unexpected and surreal and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For example, if a hurricane destroys a school, a courthouse and 50 miles of roads in a city, FEMA will give the local government more money than if that same hurricane damages one building.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
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Low level light therapy While research is still mounting, studies suggest that exposing the skin to specific wavelengths of light can extend the growth phase of hair, reduce the inflammation that damages follicles and interferes with the growth cycle, and improve the density and thickness of hair.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bystander videos, like the ones taken of Pretti, have played a key role for decades in informing the public when law enforcement kills or injures people.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
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As the Sugar Bowl Academy grieves following Tuesday's deadly avalanche north of California's Lake Tahoe, the news is also hitting people hard in the Bay Area's Marin County.—
Andrea Nakano,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Valerie Krystine Muniz, who identified herself on social media as Addi’s aunt and the sister of her father, urged people to stop speculating as the family grieves.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And not only through month-long vacations and pains au chocolat.—
Hannah Seligson,
Vanity Fair,
12 Feb. 2026
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The Guy, as Sinclair is known on the show, sells to everyone, stressed-out 20-something assistant and cross-dressing stay-at-home dad alike, witnessing their private joys and pains and shortcomings and judging no one.—
Ezra Marcus,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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California has prohibited new drilling within 3,200 feet of these sensitive sites based on studies of the health harms of pollutants coming from oil and gas activity.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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Jurors in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children got their first glimpse into what will be a lengthy trial characterized by dueling narratives from the plaintiffs and the two remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube.—
Barbara Ortutay,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
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While the game is played across the country, its pulse throbs in Rio.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
Cite this Entry
“Hurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurts. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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