damage

noun

dam·age | \ ˈda-mij

Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation flood damage sustained severe damage to her knee

2 damages plural : compensation in money imposed by law for loss or injury The judge awarded them $5,000 in damages.

3 : expense, cost "What's the damage?" he asked the waiter

damage

verb

damaged; damaging

Definition of damage (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cause damage (see damage entry 1 sense 1) to don't damage the furniture returning soldiers damaged by war

Other Words from damage Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing damage Learn More About damage

Choose the Right Synonym for damage

Verb

injure, harm, hurt, damage, impair, mar mean to affect injuriously. injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success. badly injured in an accident harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss. careful not to harm the animals hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings. hurt by their callous remarks damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness. a table damaged in shipping impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution. years of smoking had impaired his health mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement. the text is marred by many typos

Examples of damage in a Sentence

Noun The items were carefully wrapped to protect them from damage during shipping. The city sustained heavy damage during the war. Fortunately the boat suffered no serious damage in the storm. The fall caused considerable damage to her knee. The disease is known to cause permanent brain damage. The scandal caused significant damage to her career. You've said enough. Please leave before you do any more damage. He tried to repair the damage by apologizing, but it was too late. He apologized, but the damage was already done. Verb Please return any items that are damaged during shipping. Many homes were damaged or completely destroyed in the fire. The fall severely damaged her knee. Smoking can seriously damage your lungs. The scandal significantly damaged her career. This news will undoubtedly damage the governor's reputation. He was worried that his comments had seriously damaged their relationship. He's trying to repair his damaged reputation. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun To be clear, if these funds end up voting in ways consistent with ESG or stakeholder theory, this is not likely to be the result of collusion but of groupthink, though the damage to the consumer will be the same. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 May 2022 When Poland and Lithuania made their offer, damage to Ukrainian rail networks was more minimal. — Drew Hinshaw, WSJ, 6 May 2022 Small imperfections and light wear can add character to thrifted finds, but major damage could be a deal-breaker. — Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2022 The fines ate into Alibaba's profits; its net income reached $21.8 billion in 2021, but the real damage was to investor confidence. — Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 6 May 2022 The damage is not reversible but symptoms can be managed by staying active, maintaining a healthy weight and receiving treatment. — Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE.com, 5 May 2022 The mental health of many people has suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, and new research shows the damage wasn't limited to adults. — Eliza Mackintosh, CNN, 4 May 2022 The damage to communities, though, is not only physical. — Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2022 But an increasingly vocal group of Chinese economists and business leaders argue that damage from shutdowns will be harder to cure. — Chris Buckley, New York Times, 1 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Truckers like clean air as much as the rest of us, but there is a point at which the costs of compliance will damage this critical industry. — David Blackmon, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 Certain medications can potentially damage the heart muscle, Sanjiv J. Shah, MD, director of the Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, tells SELF. — Ashley Abramson, SELF, 13 Apr. 2022 Forecasters warn that frost and freeze conditions could kill crops and sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. — Brook Endale, The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2022 Children can also develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in the weeks after getting COVID-19, which causes the body to become inflamed and potentially damage major organs like the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. — Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, 8 Mar. 2022 Between Saturday and Sunday morning a freeze watch has been placed by the NWS, meaning conditions could be cold enough to kill crops, sensitive vegetables or damage outdoor plumbing. — Joe Mario Pedersen, orlandosentinel.com, 28 Jan. 2022 Pull back, and potentially damage their prospects in the vast Chinese market. — Michelle Toh And Selina Wang, CNN, 28 Jan. 2022 The nuclear deal, which also includes the United Kingdom, was announced by President Biden on Wednesday and immediately threatened to aggravate tensions with Beijing and potentially damage an improving relationship with Paris. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021 But there seems to be no shortage of Tesla owners who have gone out and seriously wrecked their cars, while managing to not damage the batteries. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'damage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About damage

Dictionary Entries Near damage

dama de noche

damage

damageable

Statistics for damage

Last Updated

11 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damage. Accessed 20 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for damage

damage

noun

dam·age | \ ˈda-mij

Kids Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : loss or harm caused by injury to a person's body or property How much damage was done to the car?

2 damages plural : money demanded or paid according to law for injury or damage The jury awarded $50,000 in damages.

damage

verb

damaged; damaging

Kids Definition of damage (Entry 2 of 2)

: to cause harm or loss to

damage

noun

dam·age

Legal Definition of damage

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation

2 plural : the money awarded to a party in a civil suit as reparation for the loss or injury for which another is liable — see also additur, cover, mitigate, remittitur — compare declaratory judgment at judgment sense 1a, injunction, specific performance at performance

Note: The trier of fact determines the amount of damages to be awarded to the prevailing party. More than one type of damages may be awarded for a single injury.

— actual damages

: damages deemed to compensate the injured party for losses sustained as a direct result of the injury suffered

— called also compensatory damages

— consequential damages

: special damages in this entry

— direct damages

: damages for a loss that is an immediate, natural, and foreseeable result of the wrongful act — compare special damages in this entry

— exemplary damages \ ig-ˈzem-plə-rē- \

: punitive damages in this entry

— expectation damages

: damages recoverable for breach of contract and designed to put the injured party in the position he or she would have been in had the contract been completed

— called also expectancy damages

— general damages

1 : damages for a loss that is the natural, foreseeable, and logical result of a wrongful act — compare special damages in this entry

2 : damages for losses (as pain and suffering, inconvenience, or loss of lifestyle) whose monetary values are difficult to assign

— hedonic damages \ hi-ˈdä-nik- \

: damages deemed to compensate for the loss of enjoyment of life resulting from a wrongful act

Note: Hedonic damages are not recognized in all jurisdictions.

— incidental damages

: damages recoverable under section 2-715 of the Uniform Commercial Code in breach of contract cases for losses that include expenses incurred in handling and caring for goods which were the subject of the contract, reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining cover, and any other reasonable expenses resulting from the breach that do not fall into any other category

— liquidated damages

: damages whose amount is agreed upon by the parties to a contract as adequately compensating for loss in the event of a breach

— called also stipulated damages

Note: Liquidated damages in an amount exceeding that needed to reasonably compensate the injured party constitute a penalty and are therefore void.

— moratory damages

in the civil law of Louisiana : damages recoverable for loss resulting from an obligor's delay in performing

Note: Compensatory damages are recoverable in a case of failure to perform.

— nominal damages

: damages awarded in a small amount (as one dollar) in cases in which a party has been injured but no loss resulted from the injury or in which the injured party failed to prove that loss resulted from the injury

— presumed damages

: damages that are presumed under the law to result naturally and necessarily from a tortious act and that therefore do not require proof

— punitive damages

: damages awarded in cases of serious or malicious wrongdoing to punish or deter the wrongdoer or deter others from behaving similarly

— called also exemplary damages, smart money

— special damages

: damages awarded in an amount deemed to compensate for losses that arise not as a natural result of the injury but because of some particular circumstance of the injured party specifically : damages relating to a business, profession, or property that are easily calculable in monetary terms

— called also consequential damages

— compare direct damages in this entry — general damages in this entry

Note: Because special damages do not arise in every case, they must be specifically requested in the pleadings. This is an issue of particular importance in cases of harm to reputation, such as slander, libel, and malicious prosecution.

— stipulated damages

in the civil law of Louisiana : liquidated damages in this entry

— treble damages \ ˈtre-bəl- \

: damages awarded in an amount that is three times the amount for which the trier of fact finds the wrongdoer liable

Note: Treble damages are recoverable where authorized by statute and are usually imposed as a punishment.