harm
noun
physical injury or mental damage; hurt.
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harm
1 American
[hahrm]
/ hɑrm /
noun
-
physical injury or mental damage; hurt.
to do him bodily harm.
- Antonyms:
- benefit
-
moral injury; evil; wrong.
verb (used with object)
-
harms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
harmed,
past participle, past
-
harming
present participle
HARM
2
American
[hahrm]
/ hɑrm /
noun
Military.
harm
British
/ hɑːm /
noun
-
physical or mental injury or damage
-
moral evil or wrongdoing
verb
harm
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See damage.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
harmsimple
-
harmssimple
-
have harmedperfect
-
has harmedperfect
-
am harmingprogressive
-
are harmingprogressive
-
is harmingprogressive
-
have been harmingperfect progressive
-
has been harmingperfect progressive
Past
-
harmedsimple
-
had harmedperfect
-
was harmingprogressive
-
were harmingprogressive
-
had been harmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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)
Explanation
Harm is a deliberate injury or damage to someone or something. A playground bully is a mean kid who causes harm to other kids. Harm is both a noun and a verb — when you inflict harm on your brother, you harm him. Physically hurting someone is only one way to harm them. If a classmate spreads a mean rumor about you, that also harms you. The Old English root word is hearm, which means "hurt" and "pain," but also "evil" and "insult."
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:
If he has the courage to defy his critics and continue down the road to reform, then we can all be free of Fed forward guidance that has done more harm than good.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The spokesperson added that "any unilateral actions or agreements concerning transshipped goods must not target or harm the interests of third parties."
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Some countries have opted to limit their relations with the Taliban authorities until there are changes in Afghanistan, where people are suffering "very real harm" according to the United Nations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The proposal could do more harm than good, Boccia added.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Have no fear, Madame. I would not let such a creature harm a single hair on your body. I would march circles around her, creating a swirl of confusion on the battlefield!”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
The traditional medical motto has now become a challenge: DO NO HARM.
From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2010
It can't do you any HARM, you know,' he went on in hoarse whispered earnestness.
From The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. (Edith) Nesbit
Justice in Aging, a national advocacy group, suggests that Medicaid estate recovery disproportionately harms low-income families because the home is often the primary asset left behind by a Medicaid recipient.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
This can reduce independence which harms their mental wellbeing and adds financial pressures, she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
In the New Mexico case, the First Judicial Court in Santa Fe determined that Meta’s conduct created a “public nuisance” and ordered the company to create a fund to remedy harms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The research suggests a curfew is "unlikely to be enough on its own to prevent online harms," said Leanne Proctor, regulatory lead at the Online Responsibility Network, the organisation the survey was conducted for.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Why don’t you stretch out right here? I’ll make sure nothing harms you while you sleep.”
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
“Employees of both Paramount and WBD are also harmed by the uncertainties caused by the delay.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
A New Mexico judge on Thursday ordered Meta to pay more than half a billion dollars over the state's claims that the social media giant created a "public nuisance" and harmed children.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
You felt bad for anyone who got harmed.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
“We harmed young people in very real ways,” said David Barnes, a public health historian at the University of Pennsylvania.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
These enemies were not mortal, and they could not be harmed.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
“Today’s guilty plea makes clear that harming or harassing our marine wildlife has serious consequences.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We've shown that we're able to extract a tremendous amount of new information from these parchments without harming them," says Breen.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Doctors warn that looking directly at the Sun during a solar eclipse can damage the retina, potentially harming the cells responsible for sharp central vision.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
But in a series of evidence sessions, the committee heard such blanket usage is not supported by robust scientific evidence and is likely to be harming the environment.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
He told folks my arm and my eye were so true that I could knock the spots off a ladybug without harming her atall if I took the notion to do so.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
