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

As my talk with Kelley wound down, he said, “I wonder if I did the right thing or not.”

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Anthrax is caused by a bacteria called Bacillus anthracis, which largely survives as spores that hide away in soil for years before entering an animal through inhalation or a cut or wound.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

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

Hydrogel microspheres have previously been investigated for wound healing because they create spaces that allow cells to move through the material and generate new tissue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Dr. Harlow decides to leave the hole open so the wound can drain.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

As they continue, wounds can become deeper and larger, increasing the risk of secondary infections.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Instead, we cut to rehearsals for the comeback tour, with a caption informing us the brothers "didn't speak for 15 years", and an implication that all the wounds have been miraculously healed.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

With certain guardrails, he’ll unflinchingly delve into deep-seated psychological wounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

“Her mother’s waiting anxiously. Let me scan the cub for any wounds or bites before we release her. We need to tell headquarters we’ve found her.”

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

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