How to Use damn in a Sentence

damn

1 of 3 verb
  • He damned them for their stupidity.
  • Which isn’t to damn him with faint praise.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025
  • Maybe this all sounds like damning with faint praise.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Be big, run fast, jump high, do good around cones, and damn the game tape.
    — Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2022
  • None of these phrases is damning on its own.
    — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • Thought Madewell was just for cozy knitwear and damn good denim?
    — Andrea Navarro, Glamour, 21 June 2024
  • Which, not to damn a great actor with faint praise, isn’t a huge bar to clear.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2023
  • Of people not afraid to deal with epic problems, damn the odds.
    — Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2021
  • Rats were determined to stake out each male scent at least once, risk be damned.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 18 Sep. 2019
  • At one point, the case against Duckett seemed damning.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
  • But people should not go out there and damn the consequences.
    — Ashley Laderer, SELF, 6 Aug. 2020
  • To see those monkeys from those African countries, damn them.
    — Luke Broadwater, baltimoresun.com, 13 Nov. 2019
  • Semien might knock in 100 runs anyway, leadoff spot be damned.
    — Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2019
  • Mr Katyal acknowledged that the text alone does not damn the travel rules.
    — The Economist, 26 Apr. 2018
  • Your yacht will never find out anything damning about your business.
    — Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Then the scale will be huge, and nuclear weapons, then surely someone will use it, damn it.
    — Mary Ilyushina, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Aug. 2022
  • But Erica damn sure put the work in to earn it in previous years.
    — Kirsten West Savali, The Root, 15 Apr. 2018
  • To market a product as less harmful than cigarettes is to damn it with faint praise.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2019
  • The fact that so many unworthy players went so far is simply too damning.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
  • For a team steeped in history, this type of milestone is both damning and baffling.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
  • That can sound damning with faint praise, with his lack of wins, but people actually mean it.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
  • Sumlin announced that Gunnell would be part of the mix, redshirt be damned.
    — Michael Lev, azcentral, 5 Mar. 2020
  • Britain, like America, has a free press and palace protocol be damned.
    — Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 19 May 2018
  • At the risk of damning with faint praise, Solo is… competent!
    — Scott Meslow, GQ, 25 May 2018
  • Banister, though, said that Choo was going to hit for Rua in the eighth, streak be damned.
    — Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, 11 July 2018
  • Daniels had a lot of interesting things to say about our president, not all of them damning.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 12 Feb. 2018
  • Of all the sins that might damn your soul for eternity, mumbling is probably pretty far down the list.
    — JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Come July, temperatures will range from hot to damn hot to when's that roof going to be ready?
    — Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, 7 May 2018
  • Yet that’s all Redzepi has done since the damning New York Times exposé.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • For Bradlee there was no issue -- publish the story and damn the consequences.
    — Michael Sangiacomo, cleveland.com, 9 Jan. 2018

damn

2 of 3 noun
  • I don't want to hear about your problems—I just don't give a damn.
  • Lisa is shady, shady, shady, but hot damn, can the woman turn a phrase.
    — Jodi Walker, EW.com, 19 Nov. 2020
  • In comedy, no one gives a damn.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
  • Kyle is right; just tell us the whole damn story all at once and get it out there.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2021
  • So that’s why prospects think of damn near anything to get their minds off of football.
    — Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2017
  • Fox News doesn’t give a damn about press watchdogs and Pulitzers.
    — Frank Rich, Daily Intelligencer, 19 Apr. 2018
  • The water drained from the lake when a natural damn made of ice broke.
    — Sara Sneath, NOLA.com, 26 Oct. 2017
  • The rest of the team should be made up of people who don’t give a damn how it’s been done in the past.
    — Bill Brady, Forbes, 1 July 2022
  • Mexico doesn’t give a damn about who is coming through their country to us.
    — Manny Fernandez, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2017
  • No new laws, no new regulations, no new challenges worth a damn.
    — Os Keyes, Wired, 18 Oct. 2021
  • At the start, the project required building a damn to drain the water from the facade.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Volcanoes, like stars and tides and changing seasons, don’t give a damn.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But for the last three years, we've been consumed by a president who frankly doesn't give a damn about your kids or mine.
    — NBC News, 1 Aug. 2019
  • As much as Zeke has given this franchise, that shouldn’t be the last damn play Zeke played.
    — Dallas News, 24 Jan. 2023
  • The body does not give a damn about your inner monologue or warm-up exercises.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2019
  • When has a white man ever given a damn about a black woman’s feelings, well-being or life?
    — Michael Harriot, The Root, 8 Feb. 2018
  • The oceans will not give a damn about whatever this exercise produces.
    — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 3 July 2017
  • The average building designer doesn’t seem to give a damn about it.
    — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2020
  • James put the team on his damn back and almost won a game against four Hall-of-Famers by himself.
    — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, 1 June 2018
  • There is still nothing in the league more fearsome than when the Warriors decide to give a damn.
    — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, 13 Jan. 2018
  • Who gives a damn about sports right now in the wake of the Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy?
    — Lori Nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 22 Nov. 2021
  • The people who would benefit most from this revelation are the ones who don't give a damn.
    — Dahleen Glanton, chicagotribune.com, 5 June 2017
  • That should give anyone chills who gives a damn about clean sport, as job pressure is one of the clearest incentives to dope.
    — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 28 Feb. 2015
  • There’s a lot that is freeing about getting older, including not giving as much of a damn.
    — Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
  • There are a lotta 60-year-old men who have wrinkles, no hair, glasses, and nobody gives a damn.
    — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 3 Mar. 2018
  • To keep it simple, Gammy truly did not give a damn about what that young lady was talking about.
    — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 8 Dec. 2020
  • The sophomore receiver stood on the sideline in damn near shock as Penn State iced the game.
    — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2019
  • Jazz isn’t exactly a popular genre these days, but Goldblum doesn’t seem to give a damn.
    — Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2021
  • Carrie Fisher’s brave, I’ll-rescue-my-own-damn-self princess!
    — Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 May 2021
  • Here, eight designers remind us of the importance of giving a damn.
    — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2018

damn

3 of 3 adjective or adverb
  • With the damn flash on, mind you.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • What kind of damn sense does this make?
    — James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Where was the host with the damn bell?
    — A.r. Carter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
  • But Heather still called the damn paps.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
  • About the team, about the city, about the whole damn thing.
    — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 20 June 2026
  • He's almost killed me so many damn times.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
  • He's almost killed me so many damn times.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
  • In the meantime, put down your damn phones.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
  • So sometimes that means get off your damn phone.
    — Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 16 June 2026
  • Drop the damn puck already, we’re not done yet.
    — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
  • That woman held that gun out in front of her for a long damn time.
    — Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2021
  • And yet, there’s not a damn thing anyone seems able to do about it.
    — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2021
  • Quit social media and get off your damn phone.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • There are problems to fix every damn day.
    — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Watching the damn things grow is just the most amazing thing.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2020
  • The black sweater with the white collar and the damn Chanel boots?
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 9 Mar. 2026
  • That damn salt was shipped here from three other countries.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Last night was therapy with the best damn rock band in the world.
    — Mary Colurso | [email protected], al, 17 June 2023
  • Bronny, mind your damn business, get out the way.
    — Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • And all of you who have not said a damn word are complicit in this.
    — NBC News, 6 Dec. 2020
  • Okay @DennisNia do the damn thing girl; this was so fun to watch!
    — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 25 Jan. 2021
  • Take them down to Mud Creek and hang them up with a damn rope.
    — Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Get checked and vaccinate your damn kids!
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026
  • Plus, the photo is pretty damn rad.
    — Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
  • After that night, the statue did not stay in its damn place much longer.
    — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al, 28 May 2021
  • But the damn thing keeps flying around, putting holes in people’s lives.
    — Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 5 Dec. 2021
  • Every damn game someone goes down!
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The @nyknicks need to handle their damn business.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Those are the plays that get me in the ‘wow’ moment or the ‘damn’ moment.
    — Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2020
  • It’s caked from edge to edge with ground chile to the point that the whole damn thing is nearly red.
    — Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 10 Feb. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'damn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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