Synonyms

injure

American

[in-jer] / ˈɪn dʒər /

verb (used with object)

to do or cause harm of any kind to; damage; hurt; impair.

to injure one's hand.

Synonyms:

mar, break, ruin, spoil

Antonyms:

benefit
to do wrong or injustice to.

Synonyms:

abuse, maltreat
to wound or offend.

to injure a friend's feelings.

injure British

/ ˈɪndʒə /

verb

to cause physical or mental harm or suffering to; hurt or wound
to offend, esp by an injustice

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

Injure, impair mean to harm or damage something. Injure is a general term referring to any kind or degree of damage: to injure one's spine; to injure one's reputation. To impair is to make imperfect in any way, often with a suggestion of progressive deterioration and of permanency in the result: One's health is impaired by overwork.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of injure

1575–85; back formation from injury (noun); replacing injury (verb)

Explanation

Injure means to hurt, physically or mentally. Lose a bet and you might injure or bruise your pride, but lose your footing and you could injure your body instead. When a player in a sport is injured, they leave the field to be examined by a trainer or a physician, to see how severe their injury really is. If you slip and fall on the ice, your mom might say, "Are you injured?" She doesn't mean a bruise–––she's talking about a broken bone or a sprained ankle. You can also injure or wound someone else. Insult your mother's cooking or tackle your little brother too roughly to the ground and you'll injure them, either emotionally or physically.

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Vocabulary lists containing injure

Lesson 1

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Vocabulary Review, Unit 4

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jur, jus, List 1

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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.

Sir Stephen said at the time that he "praised my lucky stars" he did not injure his spine or skull in the fall.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

The festival is offering a space to do these shows, but also for an audience to have the night out and trust that the show is not going to injure you.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Elvis put a shin pad under his pants leg, and I took a couple of practice shots—until he was sure I wouldn’t miss and injure him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

James, who scored 16 points in Thursday's loss, appeared to injure his left elbow in the fourth quarter, after he was shunted off the court and landed on the legs of a cameraman.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

This is what happens when siblings collide—they injure each other the same way.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023