damage
Americannoun
-
damages
plural
-
injury or harm that reduces value or usefulness.
The storm did considerable damage to the crops.
- Synonyms:
- loss
-
Law. damages, the estimated money equivalent for detriment or injury sustained.
-
Informal. Often damages. cost; expense; charge.
What are the damages for the lubrication job on my car?
verb (used with object)
-
damages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
damaged,
past participle, past
-
damaging
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
damages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
damaged,
past participle, past
-
damaging
present participle
noun
-
injury or harm impairing the function or condition of a person or thing
-
loss of something desirable
-
informal cost; expense (esp in the phrase what's the damage? )
verb
-
(tr) to cause damage to
-
(intr) to suffer damage
Synonym Usage
Damage, detriment, harm, mischief refer to injuries of various kinds. Damage is the kind of injury or the effect of injury that directly impairs appearance, value, usefulness, soundness, etc.: Fire causes damage to property. Detriment is a falling off from an original condition as the result of damage, depreciation, devaluation, etc.: Overeating is a detriment to health. Harm may denote either physical hurt or mental, moral, or spiritual injury: bodily harm; harm to one's self-confidence. Mischief may be damage, harm, trouble, or misfortune caused by a person, especially if maliciously: an enemy who would do one mischief.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
damageabilitynoun
-
damageablenessnoun
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damagernoun
-
predamagenoun
-
redamageverb (used with object)
-
damageableadjective
-
damagingadjective
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nondamageableadjective
-
quasi-damagedadjective
-
undamageableadjective
-
undamagedadjective
-
damaginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
damagesimple
-
damagessimple
-
have damagedperfect
-
has damagedperfect
-
am damagingprogressive
-
are damagingprogressive
-
is damagingprogressive
-
have been damagingperfect progressive
-
has been damagingperfect progressive
Past
-
damagedsimple
-
had damagedperfect
-
was damagingprogressive
-
were damagingprogressive
-
had been damagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of damage
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, equivalent to dam (from Latin damnum “damage, fine”) + -age -age; see damn
Explanation
When you damage something you hurt it in a way that makes it less valuable or useful. Say you throw a baseball and it flies over your friend's head and cracks your dad's windshield. Congratulations, you've damaged your dad's car. Damage can also be a noun. That crack in the windshield? It doesn't matter whether you 'fess up or blame your friend or a giant falling acorn. It made the car less valuable and harder to drive, therefore it is considered damage. Another meaning of damage implies the damage done to your wallet when you buy something. In a restaurant, you might hear someone ask "What's the damage?" when the check comes to the table.
Vocabulary lists containing damage
"Handle with Care"
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"The Clever Magistrate"
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New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The diet may help reduce oxidative stress directly while also supporting the production of mitochondrial microproteins that influence pathways involved in cellular damage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
In Paris, shopkeepers boarded up windows and installed metal security gates ahead of Saturday’s protests, even as some were still repairing damage from last weekend’s unrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
For those tasked with keeping people safe and dealing with the damage, severe weather can bring long hours, dangerous conditions and calls for help at any moment.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Any additional flooding “exacerbates the issue because the damage is already there,” said Todd Hall, warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service office in Oxnard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
That depended on where the storm hit and the amount of damage it caused — two things nobody could predict.
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
Wonder — celebrating the 50th anniversary of his seminal “Songs in the Key of Life” this year — is seeking forfeiture of the lease agreement with Efferson, legal fees and statutory damages up to $600.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
In March, a different set of Finra arbitrators awarded a second group $3.2 million in compensatory damages, less than the $3.5 million-plus they had sought.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The case ended up with a jury awarding Carroll $83.3 million in damages.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
About 13,000 drivers were seeking nearly £200m in damages, Reuters reported, while a claim on behalf of Kabbie and Iride, two private hire firms that have since closed, sought about £140m.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
He demanded access to the medical records and autopsy reports of Henrietta and Deborah’s sister, Elsie, as well as damages of $i 5,000 per defendant, plus interest.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
"We never had experienced that before 2020. Our homes are damaged, our cattle and our crops are affected, our livelihood is impacted and we can't even drink the water of our well anymore".
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
The severe weather battered other parts of the US state, with golf ball-sized hail reported to have damaged homes and shattered windows.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Long Beach’s breakwater protects the shore from waves from the west, but allows waves from the south to hit a narrow stretch of the peninsula that’s been badly damaged this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Obakulactone slowed the growth of these cells, reduced their production of inflammatory cytokines, and encouraged apoptosis, the controlled process through which the body eliminates unwanted or damaged cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
There are some things that really are beyond repair—a rusted pot with a splintered handle, a box of books so damaged by water they’re mildewed and hard to read.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
He added that dislodged ridge tiles can fall onto driveways and gardens, potentially damaging vehicles.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
“With weakness seen across the full spectrum of income, age and gender demographic groups, these are damaging findings given the U.K. government’s priority of economic growth,” Bellamy said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
After uncovering how titanium particles disrupt immune defenses, the researchers investigated the molecular pathway responsible for the damaging reaction.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Corals are heat sensitive and particularly vulnerable to human-driven climate change, which is warming the world's oceans and increasing the frequency and intensity of damaging bleaching events.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
He paces the room until he begins worrying about damaging the carpet, and then he sits in the window instead, watching the people below.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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