damn
to declare (something) to be bad, unfit, invalid, or illegal.
to condemn as a failure: to damn a play.
to bring condemnation upon; ruin.
to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell.
to swear at or curse, using the word “damn”: Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!
to use the word “damn”; swear.
(used as an expletive to express anger, annoyance, disgust, etc.)
the utterance of “damn” in swearing or for emphasis.
something of negligible value: not worth a damn.
Idioms about damn
damn well, Informal. damned (def. 7).
damn with faint praise, to praise so moderately as, in effect, to condemn: The critic damned the opera with faint praise when he termed the production adequate.
give a damn, Informal. to care; be concerned; consider as important: You shouldn't give a damn about their opinions.: Also give a darn.
Origin of damn
1Other words for damn
Other words from damn
- damner, noun
- pre·damn, verb (used with object)
Words Nearby damn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use damn in a sentence
It will be damn near impossible for any senior leaders to get their arms around the problem of extremists in the military as long as the Defense Department has so little data on how many service members have ties to domestic terrorist groups.
The Pentagon is taking a major step to deal with its diversity problems | Alex Ward | February 12, 2021 | VoxStill, there are days when I can’t find the motivation—when it’s so damn cold that running would be pure misery.
5 Pieces of Gear That Help Me Stay Active During Winter | Jakob Schiller | February 11, 2021 | Outside OnlineDitching the sidearms is more than just a shtick—it’s pretty damn smart.
If Modi asked his Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” he damn well would.
Save the Sarcasm for Other Democracies. America Is Fine | Debasish Roy Chowdhury | January 11, 2021 | TimeThe existence of damning evidence — video footage, for example — can drive some resolutions.
These are the police misconduct lawsuits the public hears little about | Paul Schwartzman | December 25, 2020 | Washington Post
But damn, the music is catchy—a neo-soul aural assault of horns, electro swirls, yelps, funky basslines, and harmonized vocals.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More | Marlow Stern | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey even released a (pretty damn weak) hip-hop song on SoundCloud recounting their antics.
He had just as much right to be there as any other damn body.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ | Peter Guralnick | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAlongside YOLO, “same damn time” is one of the most memorable recent additions to the lexicon.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists | Luke Hopping | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHitch knows damn well that Redford gets pretty much anything he wants.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs young Mr. Hutchinson went out by the back way he heard someone say: "damn him, he's upstairs, we'll have him yet."
The Eve of the Revolution | Carl BeckerBut damn it, man, those units cost something like eighty thousand dollars!
We're Friends, Now | Henry HasseHow can we face without fear, a God whom we suppose sufficiently barbarous to wish to damn us forever?
Superstition In All Ages (1732) | Jean Meslier"I wadna' gi'e a damn," said Peter Pegg, his big eye making frantic efforts to wink.
The Underworld | James C. WelshVery amusing how the reviews pick out one story and damn the rest!
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
British Dictionary definitions for damn
/ (dæm) /
slang an exclamation of annoyance (often in exclamatory phrases such as damn it! damn you! etc)
informal an exclamation of surprise or pleasure (esp in the exclamatory phrase damn me!)
(prenominal) slang deserving damnation; detestable
slang (intensifier): damn fool; a damn good pianist
damn all slang absolutely nothing
to condemn as bad, worthless, etc
to curse
to condemn to eternal damnation
(often passive) to doom to ruin; cause to fail: the venture was damned from the start
(also intr) to prove (someone) guilty: damning evidence
to swear (at) using the word damn
as near as damn it British informal as near as possible; very near
damn with faint praise to praise so unenthusiastically that the effect is condemnation
slang something of negligible value; jot (esp in the phrase not worth a damn)
not give a damn informal to be unconcerned; not care
Origin of damn
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with damn
In addition to the idioms beginning with damn
- damned if I do, damned if I don't
- damn well
- damn with faint praise
also see:
- do one's damnedest
- give a damn
- not worth a dime (tinker's damn)
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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