damages
Britishplural noun
Explanation
Damages are the official amount of money awarded to the winner in a law suit. If you're hurt in a car accident that's another driver's fault, you may end up collecting damages. The legal term damages usually refers to money that's owed or received to compensate someone for a loss or an injury. If a business owner's negligence — not clearing ice from a sidewalk, for example — causes you to be injured, you can sue her for damages to pay for your broken arm and the days of work you had to miss. Sometimes a court awards "punitive damages" as well, which are specifically intended to punish the defendant.
Vocabulary lists containing damages
The Skin I'm In
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Hitler Youth
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City of the Plague God
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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.
The utility later agreed to pay the Park Service $440,634 in damages, said spokesperson Jeff Monford.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
He had asked for $230 million in damages.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Not having to pay billions of dollars to Musk in damages may help those odds.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The Justice Department said Blanche will appoint five people to oversee the fund and the Trumps "will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind."
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
I gave Mrs. Nguyen our telephone number and address, and told her to get an estimate for the damages.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
