bruise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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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to develop or bear a discolored spot on the skin as the result of a blow, fall, etc.
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to become injured slightly.
His feelings bruise easily.
noun
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
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to damage the surface of (something), as by a blow
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to crush (food, etc) by pounding or pressing
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
For the Rockets, Kevin Durant missed his third game of the series because of a bone bruise in his sprained left ankle.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
Insurance isn’t there to handle every bump and bruise.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
In the early days after injury, a hematoma or bruise develops at the fracture site.
From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic had not played since suffering a bone bruise in the left knee he hyperextended in a game against Miami on December 29.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
“Look at this peach. They bruise so easily, they need a Shield to escort them.”
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
