damn

American  

[dam] / dæm /

verb (used with object)

damns, present (3rd person singular) damned, past participle, past damning present participle

1. to declare (something) to be bad, unfit, invalid, or illegal.

2. to condemn as a failure.

   to damn a play.

   Synonyms:

   blast, disparage, denounce, censure, berate

3. to bring condemnation upon; ruin.

4. to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell.

5. to swear at or curse, using the word “damn”.

   Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

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verb (used without object)

damns, present (3rd person singular) damned, past participle, past damning present participle

1. to use the word “damn”; swear.

interjection

1. (used as an expletive to express anger, annoyance, disgust, etc.)

noun

1. the utterance of “damn” in swearing or for emphasis.

2. something of negligible value.

   not worth a damn.

adjective

1. damned.

adverb

1. damned.

idioms

1. give a damn, to care; be concerned; consider as important: Also give a darn.

   You shouldn't give a damn about their opinions.

2. damn with faint praise, to praise so moderately as, in effect, to condemn.

   The critic damned the opera with faint praise when he termed the production adequate.

3. damn well, damned.

damn British  

/ dæm /

interjection

1. slang an exclamation of annoyance (often in exclamatory phrases such as damn it! damn you! etc)

2. informal an exclamation of surprise or pleasure (esp in the exclamatory phrase damn me! )

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adjective

1. slang (prenominal) deserving damnation; detestable

adverb

1. slang (intensifier)

   damn fool

   a damn good pianist

adverb

1. slang absolutely nothing

verb

1. to condemn as bad, worthless, etc

2. to curse

3. to condemn to eternal damnation

4. (often passive) to doom to ruin; cause to fail

   the venture was damned from the start

5. (also intr) to prove (someone) guilty

   damning evidence

6. to swear (at) using the word damn

7. informal as near as possible; very near

8. to praise so unenthusiastically that the effect is condemnation

noun

1. slang something of negligible value; jot (esp in the phrase not worth a damn )

2. informal to be unconcerned; not care

damn More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing damn

• do one's damnedest
• give a damn
• not worth a dime (tinker's damn)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predamn
  verb (used with object)
• damner
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has damned
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have damned
  perfect
• are damning
  progressive
• has been damning
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been damning
  perfect progressive
• am damning
  progressive 1st person singular
• is damning
  progressive 3rd person singular
• damning
  participle
• damns
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had damned
  perfect
• was damning
  progressive singular
• were damning
  progressive plural
• had been damning
  perfect progressive
• damned
  participle
• damned
  simple

Future

• will damn
  simple
• will have damned
  perfect
• will have been damning
  perfect progressive
• will be damning
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of damn

1250–1300; Middle English dam ( p ) nen < Old French dam ( p ) ner < Latin damnāre to condemn, derivative of damnum damage, fine, harm

Explanation

Damn is a common, somewhat naughty exclamation. In one sense it means to condemn or send someone to hell, as in "God damn it!" Other times it means "a little amount," as in "I don't give a damn about baseball." People can give a damn, damn others to hell, and complain about the damn weather. Some religious people believe their sins could damn them to an eternity of torment and hellfire. You should be careful when peppering your speech with damn, as it might offend some ears. But sometimes damn can be used positively, as in "They make the best damn pizza in town!"

Example Sentences

"DAMN" is a perfect album, from to start to back; it includes top-notch lyrics, creativity, thought-provoking content and original visuals.

From Salon • Dec. 23, 2019

In April, he became the first non-jazz or classical musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music for his 2017 album DAMN.

From BBC • May 22, 2018

Kendrick Lamar, the second-most nominated artist of the night, kicked off the ceremony with a medley of songs from his album DAMN.

From The Guardian • Jan. 28, 2018

I see it all over the albums we’ve been name-checking, most of which make my top 10, from Melodrama and Utopia to Rainbow and DAMN.

From Slate • Dec. 28, 2017

"DAMN the talk!" cried the faro-dealer, moving closer till the light shone on his features, which commenced to twitch.

From The Spoilers by Beach, Rex Ellingwood

Related Words

• curse
• darn