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.
-
to crush (drugs or food) by beating or pounding.
-
Metalworking. to injure the surface of (an ingot or finished object) by collision.
verb (used without object)
-
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
-
bruises
plural
verb
-
(also intr) to injure (tissues) without breaking the skin, usually with discoloration, or (of tissues) to be injured in this way
-
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
-
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:
"An aggressive pacifism, obviously, but we only bruise our victims' egos," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
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
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
“So those hybrids destroying your house—that bruise you supposedly got—that was just to convince me to come back?”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
“When the consequences of a geopolitical crisis roils oil markets and bruises the bond market, it is only a matter of time before equities get hit,” Brooks of XTB added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
When people notice his plentiful bruises, Almásy makes up excuses, leading them to think he’s a klutz.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 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
Before their eyes, the bruises and cuts faded from Phillip’s body, and he stood up straighter, a smile coming over his face as he did.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
And today, even in its shuttered and bruised state, it stands defiantly — a testament to handmade art at a time the world is spinning toward all-digital everything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
That’s some shaky ground on which to repair bruised friendships.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
U.S. junk bonds are getting badly bruised in September, with their high yields so far failing to provide enough cushion this month to withstand heightened market volatility without losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Salisbury was colorful: A mixed martial arts enthusiast, he once appeared at the agency’s headquarters with his face bruised and eye blackened from a recent bout.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Gelato isn’t a big enough Band-Aid to cover up how bruised I’m going to be Monday.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
After a bruising stretch for tech stocks, investors will be looking for more than upbeat forecasts to justify valuations amid rising borrowing costs, MarketWatch’s Joe Adinolfi reports.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
St. Clair simply calls him a “nuke,” one that might readily self-detonate at the slightest bruising of his self-image.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Unusually, Turkey must navigate these complexities with Australia, a major fossil fuel exporter, after both countries agreed to share COP31 duties following a bruising hosting battle.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
It's the latest chapter in a bruising year.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The summer of 2011 turned out to be especially bruising for Barack.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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