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.
MacInnes is seeking aggravated damages for the harm to her reputation.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
The jury had awarded $28.45 million in damages to the widower of one of the victims.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Most of the these settlements result from recent state law allowing self-identified victims, many from long ago, to sue for damages.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
The state seeks millions in damages and power to suspend State Farm’s license for up to a year, following an investigation that found unlawful behavior in over half of 220 claims.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Neither the state nor the state police can be sued for damages.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
