harm
noun
physical injury or mental damage; hurt.
Showing results for harm.
Search instead for
to harm.
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:
"The people who use this service are someone's son, daughter, brother, sister, parent or friend," said Mal Byrne, Extern's director of harm reduction and mental health services.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
These highly reactive molecules can harm cellular structures, but they also play an important role in signaling that something is wrong.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
“Unfortunately, these MCAs, the way that they’re usually administered, tend to harm small businesses,” said David Chase, a vice president at the advocacy group Small Business Majority.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
"When a government engages in conduct that causes harm to its citizens, the courts must decide whether that conduct is consistent with the Constitution," she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
They’ve been clear they will eliminate anything posing harm to them.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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
Meta in August reached a settlement with 48 U.S. states over harms to teenagers that led to a $10 billion charge in its third-quarter results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Earlier this year, New Mexico won nearly $1 billion in combined penalties against Meta in a separate case over harms to children.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
Even with the most robust investigations, not all serious harms will be—or should be—subject to criminal law or civil liability.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026
Under the law, government agencies must identify and reduce harms of projects, and seek public input.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 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
Department of Justice released its investigation of the Memphis Police Department, finding that its aggressive traffic enforcement had harmed Memphians.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
Privacy violations and persistent allegations that its platforms harmed users have made many people wary of the company and Zuckerberg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
She worries about accidents in the park that have harmed humans and horses.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Luckily, no dishes were harmed in the process.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
"She is mine. I will not have her harmed."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
A major new lawsuit argues the state is taking far too much water out of the Delta, harming native fish and the ecosystem, causing toxic algae blooms, and threatening local farms and communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
This year has seen several lawsuits looking to hold companies like Meta, TikTok and others responsible for harming the mental health of children end in unprecedented losses for the firms.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
L. slashi does not produce venom capable of seriously harming a human.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
This year more than a half-million acres have burned there, forcing school closures and harming air quality as far away as Singapore and the Philippines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
But I cannot give him orders in this case: I cannot say ‘Beware of harming me, Richard;’ for it is imperative that I should keep him ignorant that harm to me is possible.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
