harm

¹

[hahrm]

noun

1. physical injury or mental damage; hurt.

   to do him bodily harm.

   Antonyms: benefit

2. moral injury; evil; wrong.

verb (used with object)

1. to do or cause harm to; injure; damage; hurt.

   to harm one's reputation.

   Synonyms: abuse, maltreat
   Antonyms: help

HARM

²

[hahrm]

noun

Military.

1. a U.S. air-to-surface missile designed to detect and destroy radar sites by homing on their emissions.

harm

/ hɑːm /

noun

1. physical or mental injury or damage

2. moral evil or wrongdoing

verb

1. (tr) to injure physically, morally, or mentally

Other Word Forms

• harmer noun
• self-harming adjective
• unharmed adjective
• unharming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of harm¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hearm; cognate with German Harm, Old Norse harmr

Origin of harm²

H(igh-speed) A(nti) R(adiation) M(issile)

Word History and Origins

Origin of harm¹

Old English hearm; related to Old Norse harmr grief, Old High German harm injury, Old Slavonic sramǔ disgrace

Idioms and Phrases

see do one wrong (harm); out of harm's way.

Synonym Study

See damage.

Example Sentences

City Councilmember Caroline Toris, who worked closely on the case, said the city is working to set up other meaningful reparations for Black residents harmed by its racist past.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr. Gulati warns that “overconfidence might hinder our ability to face real limitations and lead to reckless behavior, ultimately harming our performance.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“To do otherwise would be to cause real harm to the economy for purposes of vanity,” he said on Bloomberg Television.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

ChatGPT instituted new parental controls for teen accounts in September, including having parents receive notifications from dependent accounts if ChatGPT recognizes potential signs of teens harming themselves.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Critics argue that the ban, even if properly implemented, will not actually reduce online harm for children.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• abuse 
• damage 
• hurt 
• impair 
• inconvenience 
• maim 
• mar 
• outrage 
• prejudice 
• ruin 
• sabotage 
• sap 
• shatter 
• shock 
• tarnish 
• trample 
• traumatize 
• undermine 
• wreck