damage
Americannoun
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injury or harm that reduces value or usefulness.
The storm did considerable damage to the crops.
- Synonyms:
- loss
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Law. damages, the estimated money equivalent for detriment or injury sustained.
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Informal. Often damages. cost; expense; charge.
What are the damages for the lubrication job on my car?
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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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
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damageabilitynoun
-
damageablenessnoun
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damagernoun
-
predamagenoun
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redamageverb (used with object)
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damageableadjective
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damagingadjective
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nondamageableadjective
-
quasi-damagedadjective
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undamageableadjective
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undamagedadjective
-
damaginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
damagesimple
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damagessimple
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have damagedperfect
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has damagedperfect
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am damagingprogressive
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are damagingprogressive
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is damagingprogressive
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have been damagingperfect progressive
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has been damagingperfect progressive
Past
-
damagedsimple
-
had damagedperfect
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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:
“Insurance is not included in your lease, and you may incur damage fees if the device is lost, stolen, or not returned in the condition required by the lease,” Apple noted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
That appears set to inflict further damage to the values of U.S. companies Micron, Sandisk and Western Digital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Stronger atmospheric rivers would raise the threat of flooding and infrastructure damage.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
“In addition, such outcomes could weaken Delaware Life’s regulatory relationships and damage its reputation, which could erode its competitive position,” S&P said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
I can see that it is filthy & there is damage on the starboard side near the waterline.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
It damages DNA in liver cells and can create mutations that start tumor growth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
"These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do," he posted on his Truth Social platform.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
A state court judge there is weighing further damages against the company that could mean it’s forced to potentially pay more and change the way it operates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in damages.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
So widespread and heavy was the loss that 14 other beekeepers joined him in suing the state for a quarter of a million dollars in damages.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
No structures had been damaged or destroyed as of Sunday night, according to Cal Fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
An employee reported to university police on the morning of July 15 that “someone intentionally damaged university property,” according to a summary report posted online by the university.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
About 50 responded, nearly all of them saying their land or property had been damaged.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Also in Yekaterinburg, Russian online retail giant Wildberries said it had evacuated its staff over a drone threat, but said its facility had not been damaged.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
An hour or more of that and her instrument definitely would have been damaged.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
The Times writes: “That process could have required federal agencies to hand over more damaging records.”
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
He called a Times reporter during his incarceration and said he had been arrested for damaging a bench near the beach shortly after his return.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Dawson said her firm faces a "damaging" business rates bill, which is "one of the biggest threats to our ability to keep operating".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
A team at the University of Kentucky has now identified this damaging process for the first time and demonstrated a way to shut it down.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
But if tests showed that the bullet could be extracted without damaging nerves or organs, Garfield might undergo surgery.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
