hurt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
hurts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hurt,
past participle, past
-
hurting
present participle
-
to cause bodily injury to; injure.
He was badly hurt in the accident.
-
to cause bodily pain to or in.
The wound still hurts him.
-
to damage or decrease the efficiency of (a material object) by striking, rough use, improper care, etc..
Moths can't hurt this suit because it's mothproof.
Dirty oil can hurt a car's engine.
-
to affect adversely; harm.
to hurt one's reputation;
It wouldn't hurt the lawn if you watered it more often.
-
to cause mental pain to; offend or grieve.
She hurt his feelings by not asking him to the party.
verb (used without object)
-
hurts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hurt,
past participle, past
-
hurting
present participle
-
to feel or suffer bodily or mental pain or distress.
My back still hurts.
- Synonyms:
- ache
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to cause bodily or mental pain or distress.
The blow to his pride hurt most.
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to cause injury, damage, or harm.
-
to suffer want or need.
noun
adjective
-
physically injured.
The hurt child was taken to the hospital.
-
offended; unfavorably affected.
hurt pride.
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suggesting that one has been offended or is suffering in mind.
Take that hurt look off your face!
-
damaged.
hurt merchandise.
verb
-
to cause physical pain to (someone or something)
-
to cause emotional pain or distress to (someone)
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to produce a painful sensation in (someone)
the bruise hurts
-
informal (intr) to feel pain
noun
-
physical, moral, or mental pain or suffering
-
a wound, cut, or sore
-
damage or injury; harm
adjective
noun
Usage
And is hurted in the dictionary? Hurted is not listed as a word in this dictionary. It’s not used as the standard past tense of hurt, nor is it commonly used in any other way. (General note: Just because a word doesn’t appear in the dictionary doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “not a word.” Some people may use it, and if enough people eventually start using it, it may be added to the dictionary.)
What’s the past tense of hurt?
The past tense of hurt is simply hurt. Example: I hurt my arm yesterday. Because the past tense is not formed with -ed, it’s an example of an irregular verb. Like hurt, the past tense form of many other irregular verbs is the same as the present tense. Many common ones are also short words that end in t, such as set, hit, cut, shut, put, and quit.Synonym Usage
See injury.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hurtsimple
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hurtssimple
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have hurtperfect
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has hurtperfect
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am hurtingprogressive
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are hurtingprogressive
-
is hurtingprogressive
-
have been hurtingperfect progressive
-
has been hurtingperfect progressive
Past
-
hurtsimple
-
had hurtperfect
-
was hurtingprogressive
-
were hurtingprogressive
-
had been hurtingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hurt
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English verb hurten, hirten, herten “to injure, damage, stumble, knock together,” apparently from Old French hurter “to knock (against), oppose” (compare French heurter, originally dialectal), probably a verbal derivative of Frankish unattested hûrt “ram,” cognate with Old Norse hrūtr; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
If you have a party and no one shows up, you will probably feel hurt: emotionally injured by what's happened. Hurt comes from the Old French hurte, meaning "collision," or "blow." We still have that violent sense in our word hurtle but we use hurt for a whole range of pains. If you stub your toe, it hurts, and if someone is beating you up you might say, "Stop hurting me!" Someone injured in battle or in sports is described as hurt. If you say something you shouldn't on live radio, you'll hurt your chances of winning an election.
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 are hurt and confused, but we have also tried to respect the boundaries they have established.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
When I wrote last year about this group of longtime friends whose reunion got derailed by indecision, text-chain confusion and hurt feelings, it struck a chord with readers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Two passengers suffered serious injuries and 18 others were also hurt when three carriages of the train came off the tracks near Lewes on Thursday.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I’m letting them know if you’re going to try to tackle me, it’s going to hurt you more than me. I’m glad someone thinks they can tackle me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
I stare at her, hurt and anger bubbling to the surface.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Yet Maresca played down the importance of the result, saying: "It's a defeat that hurts us, but it's just the beginning."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
The report estimates that illegal transshipment hurts American manufacturers and costs the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“It hurts the feelings of the Japanese people and is absolutely unacceptable,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said of Putin’s visit to the island of Iturup, known as Etorofu in Japanese.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
His sister, Darline Graham, who succeeded him in the Senate, said Friday the bill "hits Putin where it hurts."
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Actually, my mom and I are the lucky ones. He’s really kind of awesome. Except when he’s beating me at chess. That hurts the ego a little.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“It’s important to recognize that people work in fits and starts. It’s like starting an exercise program. You start running, and six weeks in, something starts hurting and you have to stop for a while.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Young describes his childhood mostly from the perspective of a boy — alternately bewildered, hurting, depressed and “mad all the time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Then when Shittu was punished for the same offence again despite hurting Ankush through the final round, the contest was effectively decided.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
The president appears to be hurting over Argentina's World Cup loss and events that followed the football final.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
I sink in on myself, my stomach hurting.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
