wound

¹ American  

[woond, wound] / wund, waʊnd /

noun

• wounds
  plural

1. an injury, usually involving division of tissue or rupture of the integument or mucous membrane, due to external violence or some mechanical agency rather than disease.

   Synonyms:

   trauma, lesion, laceration, stab, cut

2. a similar injury to the tissue of a plant.

3. an injury or hurt to feelings, sensibilities, reputation, etc.

   Synonyms:

   anguish, pain, insult

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verb (used with object)

1. to inflict a wound upon; injure; hurt.

   Synonyms:

   lacerate, stab, cut, damage, harm

verb (used without object)

1. to inflict a wound.

idioms

1. lick one's wounds, to attempt to heal one's injuries or soothe one's hurt feelings after a defeat.

wound ² American  

[wound] / waʊnd /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of wind and wind.

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wound ¹ British  

/ wuːnd /

noun

1. any break in the skin or an organ or part as the result of violence or a surgical incision

2. an injury to plant tissue

3. any injury or slight to the feelings or reputation

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verb

1. to inflict a wound or wounds upon (someone or something)

wound ² British  

/ waʊnd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of wind 2

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wound More Idioms  

1. see lick one's wounds; rub in (salt into a wound).

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Synonym Usage

See injury.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• wounder
  noun
• woundable
  adjective
• wounding
  adjective
• woundless
  adjective
• woundedly
  adverb
• woundingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wounds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wound

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English wund; cognate with Old High German wunta ( German Wunde ), Old Norse und, Gothic wunds; (verb) Middle English wounden, Old English wundian, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A wound is a serious injury, especially a deep cut through the skin. But things like pride and feelings can also get wounded. Wounds are serious: we're talking a lot worse than just a scrape or booboo. Just about all the meanings of this word have to do with being hurt. If you got stabbed, you got a stab wound. Soldiers in battle get a lot of wounds from enemies. If someone told you to shut up, they might wound your feelings. If you slipped in a puddle in front of your friends, that might wound your pride.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wound wounds

More “Karate Kid”-core, in this case released first as a song by Patty Smyth’s band Scandal; Journey’s version later wound up alongside Madonna’s “Crazy for You” on the soundtrack to “Vision Quest.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

As we wound our way down the seaside road, the waters were calm and pristine beside us.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

She recalled taking the dressing off her wound and fainting in the shower.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

He went on to participate in several significant battles and survived a wound to the neck.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Akira asked as her mom cleaned her wound.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

For though 9/11’s wounds remain raw in many respects, a quarter-century has passed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

"The two previous ones was a matter of letting him lick his wounds, but this one he came out and said I've had enough. He sometimes cannot help himself as he says what he thinks."

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

"If those wounds are not healed it can have a really detrimental impact, not only on the people concerned but also on the reputation of the institution."

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

“He has been examined by one of our veterinarians, who noted several minor wounds with areas of swelling,” said Kevin McManus, a spokesperson for Pasadena Humane.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

He knew I had nowhere to go for the winter vacation and enjoyed rubbing salt in my wounds.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• bruise
• cut
• damage
• grief
• laceration
• lesion
• pain
• shock
• trauma