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
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 hurts
NPR, 8 Nov. 2025
While nothing beats a classic, The Hershey Company knows a new sweet treat never hurts.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
As Venus and Pluto clash, your heart hurts.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
And that hurts my feelings, just to be completely transparent.
—Tommy Dorfman, Them., 6 Nov. 2025
Everything hurts, but everything's going to be okay.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
And some experts caution that the testing of nuclear warheads – creating actual nuclear explosions – hurts humans and can have lasting consequences for generations.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
If anything hurts, pull slowly out of the pose.
—Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025
Your head hurts, your socks are sticky, and you’re supposed to be focused on winning a championship.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
The situation remains devastating but what hurts the most is the silence.
—NPR, 8 Nov. 2025
While nothing beats a classic, The Hershey Company knows a new sweet treat never hurts.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
As Venus and Pluto clash, your heart hurts.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
And that hurts my feelings, just to be completely transparent.
—Tommy Dorfman, Them., 6 Nov. 2025
Everything hurts, but everything's going to be okay.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
And some experts caution that the testing of nuclear warheads – creating actual nuclear explosions – hurts humans and can have lasting consequences for generations.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
If anything hurts, pull slowly out of the pose.
—Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 30 Oct. 2025
Your head hurts, your socks are sticky, and you’re supposed to be focused on winning a championship.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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
-
But my heart aches for baby Bowie.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Listeria infection also causes fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.—
McClatchy Media,
Sacbee.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Brain scans revealed the severity of the bleeds and whether patients showed signs of cerebral small vessel disease, a condition that damages tiny blood vessels in the brain and is linked to aging, high blood pressure and dementia.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Long-term, alcohol damages the brain by shrinking white and gray matter, dulling rewards, and overactivating the stress system.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
If an animal injures a human or another animal, or has been declared dangerous elsewhere, it can be ordered removed from the city.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Derek gravely injures his hand.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The annual hand-wringing around whether New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be fired is already under way, but that won’t be decided for weeks as the club’s management takes a breath and grieves the club’s latest playoff exit.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
12 Oct. 2025
-
In Saunders’s afterlife, various spirits join Willie, Lincoln’s eleven-year-old son who has died from typhoid fever, while his father grieves in the crypt.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But while pains de garde can be eaten all week long, baguettes go stale quickly, leading to significant waste in French households.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Eager to assimilate, Japanese farmers took pains to learn English.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For all the emerging and anticipated consequences of the invasion, the state has no specific funding or plans to tackle harms in the Delta.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
-
And the answer to the various risks and harms of AI is public control of AI objectives through democratic means.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Portugal’s coastline throbs with beach goers and sports enthusiasts.—
Tom Mullen,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurts. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share