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.
Their solicitor, Gavin Booth, said the damages are "significant".
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
"Every delay in adaptation funding turns climate impacts into catastrophic losses and damages," Monaheng said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
One estimate made by a consulting firm for the University of the West Indies said the U.K. owed $24 trillion in damages to a group of 14 Caribbean countries for slavery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
The progressive neurological condition gradually damages brain cells involved in movement, often causing tremors, muscle stiffness, slowed movement, and difficulties with coordination.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
“Mrs. Blythe is insisting on a payment of four hundred dollars for damages to the property.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
