injury
Americannoun
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injuries
plural
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harm or damage that is done or sustained.
to escape without injury.
- Synonyms:
- mischief, impairment, ruin, destruction
- Antonyms:
- benefit
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a particular form or instance of harm.
an injury to one's shoulder; an injury to one's pride.
-
wrong or injustice done or suffered.
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Law. any wrong or violation of the rights, property, reputation, etc., of another for which legal action to recover damages may be made.
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Obsolete. injurious speech; calumny.
noun
-
physical damage or hurt
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a specific instance of this
a leg injury
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harm done to a reputation
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law a violation or infringement of another person's rights that causes him harm and is actionable at law
-
an obsolete word for insult
Synonym Usage
Injury, hurt, wound refer to impairments or wrongs. Injury, originally denoting a wrong done or suffered, is hence used for any kind of evil, impairment, or loss, caused or sustained: physical injury; injury to one's reputation. Hurt suggests especially physical injury, often bodily injury attended with pain: a bad hurt from a fall. A wound is usually a physical hurt caused by cutting, shooting, etc., or an emotional hurt: a serious wound in the shoulder; to inflict a wound by betraying someone's trust.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of injury
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English injurie, from Latin injūria “unlawful conduct, injustice,” equivalent to in- in- 3 + jūr-, stem of jūs “right, law” ( see jus, just 1) + -ia -ia
Explanation
Injury is a noun with several similar meanings, all involving physical harm or wrongdoing. If you’re not careful, your reckless bike riding could result in a crash that causes injury. Injury often refers to physical damage, but it can be used more figuratively to describe something that's unjust or that causes harm that isn't physical. For example, your estranged grandfather might do you the injury of leaving you out of his will. The word injury comes from in-, meaning “not,” and the Latin root ius or iur, meaning “right.” So an injury is something that's not right — it's something that has gone wrong that leads to damage.
Vocabulary lists containing injury
You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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Negatives with "in"
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That Hurts! Synonyms for "Pain"
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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.
See Examples For:
Rolder also suffered a hamstring injury on the play and did not return to the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Gloucester centre Seb Atkinson and Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso are also included after successfully negotiating injury comebacks for their clubs this weekend.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Baltimore’s backup quarterback, Tyler Huntley, soon went down with an injury, too, leading to the emergency unwrapping of undrafted third-stringer Joe Fagnano in a game the Ravens would lose 36-10.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Cornerback Jaylen Watson also left because of a shoulder injury.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
“Be mad at me, George. This is my fault. My injury distracted you.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Planadas Mayor Juan Camilo Hueje told a local radio station that multiple people with injuries were taken to a local school for treatment.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
As for Jackson, it’s the latest setback in a career in which stretches of brilliance have been undermined by repeated injuries and absences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
He made 21 La Liga appearances in 2025-26 out of a possible 38, with 14 starts, as injuries and a lack of continuity prevented Alexander-Arnold from establishing himself as a regular presence.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
That task will be even harder if cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Rodney Shelley, who are both questionable with hamstring injuries, can’t play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
One by one they blundered into objects until all that could be heard were Baba Joseph’s exhortations and the groans of men nursing injuries.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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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.
