damn
Americanverb (used with object)
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damns,
present (3rd person singular)
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damned,
past participle, past
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damning
present participle
-
to declare (something) to be bad, unfit, invalid, or illegal.
-
to condemn as a failure.
to damn a play.
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to bring condemnation upon; ruin.
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to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell.
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to swear at or curse, using the word “damn”.
Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!
verb (used without object)
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damns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
damned,
past participle, past
-
damning
present participle
interjection
noun
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damns
plural
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the utterance of “damn” in swearing or for emphasis.
-
something of negligible value.
not worth a damn.
adjective
adverb
idioms
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give a damn, to care; be concerned; consider as important: Also give a darn.
You shouldn't give a damn about their opinions.
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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.
-
damn well, damned.
interjection
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slang an exclamation of annoyance (often in exclamatory phrases such as damn it! damn you! etc)
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informal an exclamation of surprise or pleasure (esp in the exclamatory phrase damn me! )
adjective
adverb
adverb
verb
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to condemn as bad, worthless, etc
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to curse
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to condemn to eternal damnation
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(often passive) to doom to ruin; cause to fail
the venture was damned from the start
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(also intr) to prove (someone) guilty
damning evidence
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to swear (at) using the word damn
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informal as near as possible; very near
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to praise so unenthusiastically that the effect is condemnation
noun
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slang something of negligible value; jot (esp in the phrase not worth a damn )
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informal to be unconcerned; not care
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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damnsimple
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damnssimple
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have damnedperfect
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has damnedperfect
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am damningprogressive
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are damningprogressive
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is damningprogressive
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have been damningperfect progressive
-
has been damningperfect progressive
Past
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damnedsimple
-
had damnedperfect
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was damningprogressive
-
were damningprogressive
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had been damningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of damn
1250–1300; Middle English dam ( p ) nen < Old French dam ( p ) ner < Latin damnāre to condemn, derivative of damnum damage, fine, harm
Explanation
Damn is a common, somewhat naughty exclamation. In one sense it means to condemn or send someone to hell, as in "God damn it!" Other times it means "a little amount," as in "I don't give a damn about baseball." People can give a damn, damn others to hell, and complain about the damn weather. Some religious people believe their sins could damn them to an eternity of torment and hellfire. You should be careful when peppering your speech with damn, as it might offend some ears. But sometimes damn can be used positively, as in "They make the best damn pizza in town!"
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:
“We have lost sight of the narrative of just how damn important higher education is to our country,” he said at an event at CMU celebrating the gift.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The show, which is having its world premiere at the Old Globe’s Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, is just so damn heartwarming that I can’t help but resort to the language of blurbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
“We damn sure better be investing in Texas now than in 2032,” Wendy Davis told me.
From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026
People in this country will buy damn near anything — especially if there’s an electronic coupon involved.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Didn’t matter who was around, if it was a girl, an older person, or his own damn brother.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
He damns terrorists with faint praise, as when he condemned the attack on a Jewish school in West Bloomfield, Mich., before excusing the perpetrator with the words “hurt people do hurt people.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Sand is essential for constructing buildings, roads, hydroelectric damns and solar panels.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023
But Felt doesn’t quite tap into the complicated psychology of the character, so deft at counterfeiting innocence even as she damns her victims.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2019
It is also an intensely humane work by a skillful writer of nonfiction narrative who knows how to make you forgive even as he damns.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 25, 2019
The wines of California he damns unreservedly: the Californians themselves, he says, never drink them.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. July, 1877. by Various
They differed over whether that protection damned the Constitution or vindicated it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
This route brings people together, including me and my car enthusiast friends, who regularly go on these driving excursions — gas prices be damned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
He saw a woman damned; I saw an unhinged old man, literally disfigured by his beliefs.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Manchester City confirmed Friday they had launched an appeal against a damning judgement that found the club guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
She stoops to blackmail to force Nana to steal Ericka’s file from the headmistress’s office in the hope of unearthing some damning or disqualifying revelation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
It’s hard to read the late secretary’s words as anything but damning with faint praise.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
This is not as damning a result as it otherwise might seem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Until for the first time since she died, Mom materializes and is standing before me, her hair a blaze of black fire, her eyes damning me.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
