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damage

[ dam-ij ]
/ ˈdæm ɪdʒ /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR damage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

injury or harm that reduces value or usefulness: The storm did considerable damage to the crops.
damages, Law. the estimated money equivalent for detriment or injury sustained.
Often damages. Informal. cost; expense; charge: What are the damages for the lubrication job on my car?

verb (used with object), dam·aged, dam·ag·ing.

to cause damage to; injure or harm; reduce the value or usefulness of: He damaged the saw on a nail.

verb (used without object), dam·aged, dam·ag·ing.

to become damaged: Soft wood damages easily.

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RELATED WORDS

blow, devastation, harm, illness, hardship, bruise, wound, corruption, disturbance, suffering, accident, deterioration, contamination, destruction, impairment, catastrophe, casualty, pollution, pollute, impair

Nearby words

  1. daly city,
  2. daly, augustin,
  3. dalén,
  4. dam,
  5. dam, henrik,
  6. damage control,
  7. damaged goods,
  8. damages,
  9. damaging,
  10. daman

Origin of damage

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, equivalent to dam (< Latin damnum damage, fine) + -age -age; see damn
Related forms

Synonym study

1. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for damage

British Dictionary definitions for damage

damage

/ (ˈdæmɪdʒ) /

noun

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

(tr) to cause damage to
(intr) to suffer damage
Derived Forms

Word Origin for damage

C14: from Old French, from Latin damnum injury, loss, fine
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
Word Origin and History for damage
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with damage

damage

In addition to the idioms beginning with damage

  • damage control
  • damaged goods

also see:

  • do one wrong (damage)
  • the damage
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.