bruise

[ brooz ]

/ bruz /

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See synonyms for: bruise / bruised / bruising on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), bruised, bruis·ing.

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), bruised, bruis·ing.

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

an injury due to bruising; contusion.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM bruise

un·bruised, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bruise

brews, bruise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bruise in a sentence

Then they discovered various cuts and bruises on his body and an arrowhead embedded in his shoulder.
Humans Have Gotten Nicer and Better at Making War - Issue 94: Evolving|Steve Paulson|January 6, 2021|Nautilus
I miss my skates, the exercise, the sport, the bruises, but especially my teammates and friends.
The money we didn’t spend in 2020|Vox Staff|December 31, 2020|Vox
Morgan Moses, his body covered in bruises, stepped into his modern farmhouse Sunday evening wearing a walking boot on his left foot.
Inside a week of recovery with Morgan Moses, one of Washington’s toughest players|Sam Fortier|December 26, 2020|Washington Post
The games get a lot tougher, and the bruises get a lot bigger.
Inside a week of recovery with Morgan Moses, one of Washington’s toughest players|Sam Fortier|December 26, 2020|Washington Post

Apps that are designed to recognize faces may be fooled by haircuts, glasses, facial hair or bruises, for instance.
Explainer: What is an algorithm?|Melissa L. Weber|November 12, 2020|Science News For Students
There was a fear growing inside of me that my imperfect bruised college experience was a reflection of my own damaged self.
Freshman Year Sucks—and That’s OK|Eleanor Hyun|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brooks came through the Old Bailey trial bruised but not defeated.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine|Clive Irving|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We are people who, despite ourselves, find ourselves drawn to the sick, the dying, the permanently bruised.
The Dirty Secret Doctors Don't Want You To Know|Kent Sepkowitz|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he expresses concern over her bruised and disheveled appearance, she lies and tells him that she fainted.
How Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt Navigated Anna's Controversial Rape Arc|Kevin Fallon|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So we both kept sending each other pictures of our bruised shins.
Allison Janney’s Incredible ‘Double O’ and That ‘Masters of Sex’ Love Scene|Jason Lynch|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wharton made the bruised Martini enter also; and accompanying them himself, the voiture set off, escorted by his servants.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Nancy was little the worse for the awful accident, bruised, of course, but poor Masters was unconscious.
Uncanny Tales|Various
The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
He was lying, bruised and shaken, among the heaped-up débris of a ruined building.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.'
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for bruise

bruise

/ (bruːz) /

verb (mainly tr)

(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

a bodily injury without a break in the skin, usually with discoloration; contusion

Word Origin for bruise

Old English brӯsan, of Celtic origin; compare Irish brūigim I bruise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bruise

Origin of bruise

OTHER WORDS FROM bruise

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bruise

Words related to bruise

How to use bruise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bruise

Word Origin for bruise