injure
Americanverb
-
to cause physical or mental harm or suffering to; hurt or wound
-
to offend, esp by an injustice
Related Words
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
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.
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.
These teams soon found that metal tipped atomizers are apt to Injure the nostrils of young children, who jerk and sneeze when treated.
From Time Magazine Archive
Injure Fewer Bass It�s fun to see bass inhale topwater lures.
From Time Magazine Archive
I will not Injure him or it, by begging you to cancel what relates to me, as it would rob you of part of your defence of Mr. Baker.
From The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 4 by Walpole, Horace
Injure the organ and the music is imperfect; destroy it and it ceases to be possible.
From Life and Matter A Criticism of Professor Haeckel's 'Riddle of the Universe' by Lodge, Oliver, Sir
Four: Political Liberty consists in the power of doing whatever does not Injure another.
From Writings of Thomas Paine — Volume 2 (1779-1792): the Rights of Man by Conway, Moncure Daniel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
