damage
Americannoun
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damages
plural
-
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.
-
Informal. Often damages. cost; expense; charge.
What are the damages for the lubrication job on my car?
verb (used with object)
-
damages,
present (3rd person singular)
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damaged,
past participle, past
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damaging
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
damages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
damaged,
past participle, past
-
damaging
present participle
noun
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injury or harm impairing the function or condition of a person or thing
-
loss of something desirable
-
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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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damageabilitynoun
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damageablenessnoun
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damagernoun
-
predamagenoun
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redamageverb (used with object)
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damageableadjective
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damagingadjective
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nondamageableadjective
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quasi-damagedadjective
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undamageableadjective
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undamagedadjective
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damaginglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
damagesimple
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damagessimple
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have damagedperfect
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has damagedperfect
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am damagingprogressive
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are damagingprogressive
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is damagingprogressive
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have been damagingperfect progressive
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has been damagingperfect progressive
Past
-
damagedsimple
-
had damagedperfect
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was damagingprogressive
-
were damagingprogressive
-
had been damagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of damage
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, equivalent to dam (from Latin damnum “damage, fine”) + -age -age; see damn
Explanation
When you damage something you hurt it in a way that makes it less valuable or useful. Say you throw a baseball and it flies over your friend's head and cracks your dad's windshield. Congratulations, you've damaged your dad's car. Damage can also be a noun. That crack in the windshield? It doesn't matter whether you 'fess up or blame your friend or a giant falling acorn. It made the car less valuable and harder to drive, therefore it is considered damage. Another meaning of damage implies the damage done to your wallet when you buy something. In a restaurant, you might hear someone ask "What's the damage?" when the check comes to the table.
Vocabulary lists containing damage
"Handle with Care"
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"The Clever Magistrate"
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New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964)
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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 Krishnan-Harihara believes any sanctions imposed on the club are unlikely to inflict lasting damage on Manchester's economic prospects.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Saudi Arabia has also resumed exports from both its Gulf and Red Sea coasts after repairing part of the damage to its East-West pipeline following an attack last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The sheriff’s vehicle also appeared to have damage to the front of the car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
In a study published in Bioactive Materials, scientists found that the medication lacosamide can serve two purposes in osteoarthritis, reducing joint pain while also reversing cartilage damage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We’ve all seen the damage done by the poison tide, and the situation is only getting worse. I think it’s best if you find a safer place to live.”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
He said he hopes the film will "get people to speak about the damages that can be caused by companies like Facebook."
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
He was found to have lied in libel action he had brought against the Daily Star newspaper, in which he was awarded £500,000 in damages.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Kagan said that lawsuits aimed at damages from climate change are analogous to state lawsuits in the 1990s against tobacco companies and, more recently, state lawsuits alleging deceptive marketing of opioids.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Alzheimer's disease gradually damages memory, thinking, and behavior and affects more than 7 million older adults in the United States.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
This alarmed the Nazi leaders, who worried that the damages would bankrupt the German insurance companies.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
In Bradashesh, retired teacher Lirie Curri, 61, showed AFP the X-rays of her damaged lungs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Seoul later demanded Ukraine apologise for "announcing a falsehood" and said its actions had seriously damaged trust between the two nations.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Nepal's latest assessment counts 7,570 private buildings damaged or destroyed, home to nearly 33,000 people based on census data.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Once the disease becomes severe, replacing the damaged joint surgically may be the only remaining option.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
I have a brief vision of the semi sliding across the intersection into that pole, the showers of sparks from the damaged transformer.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
The European Union's top commerce official was due in China on Thursday for talks aimed at bringing both sides back from the brink of a mutually damaging trade war.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
At the same time, he’s concerned that the animals’ trails around the mountains could be causing damaging levels of soil erosion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The unauthorized access happened after the most damaging leak of taxpayer information in the agency’s history, which had prompted a tightening of internal defenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
"At what point do we need to be aware that it potentially can be damaging to us and our children, and AI should definitely be labelled more."
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Already in there you can see the consciousness of how damaging he regards the appearance of bad faith, and how penetrat- ingly the orator is exposed to his audience.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
