wound

¹

[woond, wound]

noun

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

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.

wound

²

[wound]

verb

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

wound

¹

/ 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

verb

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

wound

²

/ waʊnd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of wind 2

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wound¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wound¹

Old English wund; related to Old Frisian wunde, Old High German wunta (German Wunde ), Old Norse und, Gothic wunds

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

Synonym Study

See injury.

Example Sentences

He’d fled to Tijuana, where he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to his abdomen, according to the informant.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Timms’ cause of death was determined to be multiple stab wounds to the chest, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For Esau, not being able to speak her mother tongue was "a wound".

Read more on Barron's

More than a year after Knowles took the puppy to her home in Long Beach, he developed stomach issues that got so bad he wound up in the emergency room.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A gunman opened fire at Drake’s home in Toronto, wounding a security guard, and there were break-in attempts at the house, according to the suit.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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