damn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
damns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
damned,
past participle, past
-
damning
present participle
-
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!
verb (used without object)
-
damns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
damned,
past participle, past
-
damning
present participle
interjection
noun
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damns
plural
-
the utterance of “damn” in swearing or for emphasis.
-
something of negligible value.
not worth a damn.
adjective
adverb
idioms
-
give a damn, to care; be concerned; consider as important: Also give a darn.
You shouldn't give a damn about their opinions.
-
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
-
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! )
adjective
adverb
adverb
verb
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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
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(also intr) to prove (someone) guilty
damning evidence
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to swear (at) using the word damn
-
informal as near as possible; very near
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to praise so unenthusiastically that the effect is condemnation
noun
-
slang something of negligible value; jot (esp in the phrase not worth a damn )
-
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
-
have been damningperfect progressive
-
has been damningperfect progressive
Past
-
damnedsimple
-
had damnedperfect
-
was damningprogressive
-
were damningprogressive
-
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:
Mr. Anderson quotes one NFL head coach saying he looked “more like a damn aluminum siding salesman than a professional quarterback.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Not to mention that there is constant information about new stimuli that bring increased health risks, whether it be food recalls or the many warnings about being on that damn phone.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
“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 Olympics, the environment, the damn developers, self-driving cars, LAX.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Hey, Flaca,” I said back, my heart beating all fast like I’d just run a damn lap around some track.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
When Mr. Marx acclaims “Old Town Road” as an “incredible homegrown feat,” he praises what he damns elsewhere as the second sickness of our age.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
"They ran an atrocious service and what damns them most is the last minute cancellations," he said.
From BBC ● May 11, 2023
Stone appears to give neither of these damns, opting for an approach that forgoes fidelity in favor of an aggressive examination of the internal and external forces laying siege to Lucia’s sanity.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 24, 2022
With her final breath, she damns him to a life without Love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2021
They aren't really swear-words; the world has grown out of being shocked at a 'damn,' but I am willing to admit that there are more damns and hells than is usual.
From A Dominie in Doubt by Alexander Sutherland Neill
So it’s sort of a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 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
“None of your damned shadowy Karhidish metaphors, now, Estraven. I waive shifgrethor; I discard it. Will you answer me?”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
But perhaps the most damning testimonial comes from Musk himself – or rather, existing audio recordings of Musk delivered by an AI version of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, since he refused to participate.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 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
UUP leader Jon Burrows called the judgement "damning"
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Trade bible Variety called it a "lacerating portrait," while Deadline said the "damning" film had "thrashed" Musk as "petty, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, cruel."
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
