bruise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
bruises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bruised,
past participle, past
-
bruising
present participle
-
to injure by striking or pressing, without breaking the skin.
The blow bruised his arm. Her pinching bruised the peaches.
-
to injure or hurt slightly, as with an insult or unkind remark.
to bruise a person's feelings.
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to crush (drugs or food) by beating or pounding.
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Metalworking. to injure the surface of (an ingot or finished object) by collision.
verb (used without object)
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bruises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bruised,
past participle, past
-
bruising
present participle
-
to develop or bear a discolored spot on the skin as the result of a blow, fall, etc.
-
to become injured slightly.
His feelings bruise easily.
noun
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bruises
plural
verb
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(also intr) to injure (tissues) without breaking the skin, usually with discoloration, or (of tissues) to be injured in this way
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to offend or injure (someone's feelings) by an insult, unkindness, etc
-
to damage the surface of (something), as by a blow
-
to crush (food, etc) by pounding or pressing
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bruisesimple
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bruisessimple
-
have bruisedperfect
-
has bruisedperfect
-
am bruisingprogressive
-
are bruisingprogressive
-
is bruisingprogressive
-
have been bruisingperfect progressive
-
has been bruisingperfect progressive
Past
-
bruisedsimple
-
had bruisedperfect
-
was bruisingprogressive
-
were bruisingprogressive
-
had been bruisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bruise
before 900; Middle English bro ( o ) sen, bres ( s ) en, bris ( s ) en, bruisen, representing Old English brȳsan, brēsan and Anglo-French bruser, Old French bruisier, akin to briser to break; see brisance
Explanation
If you're just learning to skateboard, you’ve probably got an ugly bruise or two to show for it — those purple and yellow patches you get on your skin where you’ve bumped and scraped. They probably hurt, too! You can find bruises at the grocery store, too — those soft, mushy spots on a peach or an apple — and if you drop a tomato, you're likely to bruise it. You can bruise your knee or bruise someone's feelings — if you tell your friend you don't like her novel, you’ll bruise her ego.
Vocabulary lists containing bruise
"Abolish high school football!"
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"After Apple-Picking" by Robert Frost
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"The Astronomer"
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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:
But the images also bring back “the chirping and the beeping,” the panic and urgency, and the toe-prick tests that made Jackson bruise and “squeal” with pain.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
There are now calls to widen the investigation to examine the case of Damion Russell after medics at Blackpool Victoria Hospital failed to ask his father about an old bruise on his head.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Insurance isn’t there to handle every bump and bruise.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
Confidently, “Yes” ups the buffoonery in a big way, signaling an increased willingness to bruise viewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Kingshaw watched his mother bending over Hooper examining the bruise.
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
When people notice his plentiful bruises, Almásy makes up excuses, leading them to think he’s a klutz.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
He keeps going to the doctor, has bruises on both hands, and brags about passing dementia tests.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
Cook took bruises and beatings during his investigations, which saw him tackle injustice and stand up for victims of crime.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The press is full of uninformed speculation about bruises on his hands and puffy ankles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
He attacked the monster’s legs, battering the bark with his hands, bringing up bruises almost immediately.
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
Even with a bruised rotation that includes a banged-up Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles has the best pitching in the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
For years, I would come home from figure-skating practice bruised from falling, exhausted from trying not to fall and tender from the ambient heartache of being a teenager.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
The former world number four has only played 14 matches in the past 12 months, largely because of the bruised humerus which he has tried to overcome by resting for long periods.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Buddha, seeing him bruised, bloody, and weeping, smiles and tells him he must bear it.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Garbage. Restaurant-dumpster quality. Day-old meat mingled with bruised bananas. Quite a heady bouquet.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Since there isn’t much in the way of conversation, the bruising combat scenes take center stage to head-spinning effect.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some artificial-intelligence stocks that got knocked off their pedestals, in part due to a bruising July selloff, now represent attractive opportunities for investors, according to BofA analysts.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
After a bruising and sometimes bitter campaign, El-Sayed hinted at bridge-building when he addressed supporters on Tuesday night, before the outcome was known.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
However, last season was a bruising one domestically - Newcastle finished in 12th place - and Howe watched Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon leave within a year.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Poultice. With arnica for the bruising and comfrey for the broken bone.”
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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.
