hurt

[hurt]

verb (used with object)

hurt, hurting 

1. to cause bodily injury to; injure.

   He was badly hurt in the accident.

2. to cause bodily pain to or in.

   The wound still hurts him.

3. 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.

   Synonyms: impair, mar

4. to affect adversely; harm.

   to hurt one's reputation;

   It wouldn't hurt the lawn if you watered it more often.

5. to cause mental pain to; offend or grieve.

   She hurt his feelings by not asking him to the party.

   Synonyms: wound, afflict

verb (used without object)

hurt, hurting 

1. to feel or suffer bodily or mental pain or distress.

   My back still hurts.

   Synonyms: ache

2. to cause bodily or mental pain or distress.

   The blow to his pride hurt most.

3. to cause injury, damage, or harm.

4. to suffer want or need.

noun

1. a blow that inflicts a wound; bodily injury or the cause of such injury.

2. injury, damage, or harm.

3. the cause of mental pain or offense, as an insult.

   Synonyms: slight, cut

4. Heraldry.,  a rounded azure.

adjective

1. physically injured.

   The hurt child was taken to the hospital.

2. offended; unfavorably affected.

   hurt pride.

3. suggesting that one has been offended or is suffering in mind.

   Take that hurt look off your face!

4. damaged.

   hurt merchandise.

hurt

¹

/ hɜːt /

verb

1. to cause physical pain to (someone or something)

2. to cause emotional pain or distress to (someone)

3. to produce a painful sensation in (someone)

   the bruise hurts

4. informal,  (intr) to feel pain

noun

1. physical, moral, or mental pain or suffering

2. a wound, cut, or sore

3. damage or injury; harm

adjective

1. injured or pained physically or emotionally

   a hurt knee

   a hurt look

hurt

²

/ hɜːt, hwɜːt /

noun

1. dialect,  another name for whortleberry

Other Word Forms

• hurter noun
• hurtable adjective
• unhurt adjective
• unhurting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hurt¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hurt¹

C12 hurten to hit, from Old French hurter to knock against, probably of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse hrūtr ram, Middle High German hurt a collision

Idioms and Phrases

see not hurt a fly.

Synonym Study

See injury.

Example Sentences

Critics warned that this could hurt the national budget.

Read more on Barron's

Investors will be eager to hear how the policy shift is working out, amid concerns the move could hurt the airline’s market share.

Read more on Barron's

Bryan also said Winnebago’s price increases could hurt demand “as consumers have clearly indicated that they are looking for more affordable units.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Join the club. Who doesn’t get up a little anxious for work every day and their back hurts? Everyone over 40 has a back pain.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Megan and Jordan’s breakup hurt the most as someone who noticed their strong emotional bond since the beginning.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bruise 
• damage 
• harm 
• impair 
• injure 
• mar 
• punish 
• sting 
• trouble 
• wound 

When To Use

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.