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
-
injury or harm impairing the function or condition of a person or thing
-
loss of something desirable
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informal cost; expense (esp in the phrase what's the damage? )
verb
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(tr) to cause damage to
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(intr) to suffer damage
Related Words
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
- damageability noun
- damageable adjective
- damageableness noun
- damager noun
- damaging adjective
- damagingly adverb
- nondamageable adjective
- predamage noun
- quasi-damaged adjective
- redamage verb (used with object)
- undamageable adjective
- undamaged adjective
Etymology
Origin of damage
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, equivalent to dam (from Latin damnum “damage, fine”) + -age -age; damn
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.
Storm Goretti is set to bring heavy snowfall and strong winds across the UK later on Thursday, which could cause travel disruption and damage properties.
From BBC
That triggered forced selling from margin calls by brokers, driving down security prices for even unlevered investors, who suffered collateral damage.
From Barron's
These rapid shifts appear to suppress bowel cancer cell growth while also speeding up the repair of damaged DNA.
From Science Daily
He was able to swerve, avoiding any serious damage, bar some minor scratches on the paintwork.
From BBC
Further conversations with clinicians led the team to target another side effect of many cancer medications: neuropathy, or nerve damage.
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.
