1
as in scratches
a bodily injury in which small blood vessels are broken but the overlying skin is not
she got quite a big bruise from walking into the corner of the table
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of bruises
ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
After her death, an autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to Dadkhah’s head and more than 50 bruises and cuts, Deputy District Attorney Trisha Amador said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
The autopsy found small scrapes on Adair’s skin and hemorrhages, or bruises, on his back and shoulders.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Nobody on Tyneside is suggesting this has not been a bruising summer — the club’s second in succession — but unlike a year ago, those bruises look like badges of honour.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Pasamanick — who said she was disappointed nobody intervened or tried to help during the attack — was left with bites and bruises on her leg, while Sparky also had bite marks, per WESH 2 and WLBT.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Her words reopened a wound that’s always been there, like bruises after a football game that appear a day later, said Nwagbaraocha, the district staff member.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Fans also showed screenshots where her limbs appeared to have bruises, scratches, or small wounds.
—Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Falling Getting hit by a person or object Some people are more likely to get bruises.
—Marisa Garshick, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
At a nearby hospital, after a doctor examined her wounds and tested her for a concussion, investigators snapped photos of the bruises on her face.
—ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2025
After her death, an autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to Dadkhah’s head and more than 50 bruises and cuts, Deputy District Attorney Trisha Amador said.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
The autopsy found small scrapes on Adair’s skin and hemorrhages, or bruises, on his back and shoulders.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Nobody on Tyneside is suggesting this has not been a bruising summer — the club’s second in succession — but unlike a year ago, those bruises look like badges of honour.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Pasamanick — who said she was disappointed nobody intervened or tried to help during the attack — was left with bites and bruises on her leg, while Sparky also had bite marks, per WESH 2 and WLBT.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Her words reopened a wound that’s always been there, like bruises after a football game that appear a day later, said Nwagbaraocha, the district staff member.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Fans also showed screenshots where her limbs appeared to have bruises, scratches, or small wounds.
—Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Falling Getting hit by a person or object Some people are more likely to get bruises.
—Marisa Garshick, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruises
Noun
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The array of ferocious brushstrokes, scratches, and painterly drips amplify the complex dialogue, inviting the viewer’s interpretation.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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Propelled by one of guitarist Wes Borland’s hypnotic riffs, crunching beats, old-school record scratches and the group’s signature shouty choruses, the whole thing comes crashing to a close with a pummeling final chorus that finally nods to the country star in the title.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Health and sleep insights feel genuinely useful when planning recovery, and the titanium build shrugs off scrapes.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
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So far, Hill said there have not been any scrapes or accidents.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Set against Mumbai’s relentless pulse, their delicate connection faces tests as personal histories, desires, and wounds resurface.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
No policy wounds Tibetan dignity more profoundly than attempts to co-opt its spiritual and institutional heart.—
Tenzin Dorjee,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ragusa said Giuliani was transported to a nearby trauma center where he was found with a fractured thoracic vertebra and multiple lacerations and contusions.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
1 Sep. 2025
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Giuliani suffered a fractured vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, and injuries to his left arm and lower leg.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Coconut oil may help address common skin issues like dry skin, eczema, and minor cuts and abrasions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
28 Aug. 2025
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Nearly everyone else suffered injuries including cuts, bruises and abrasions, according to O'Callaghan.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Heupel spreads out his receivers in an attempt to spread out the defense, then gashes them with the run.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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The pictures show scars and gashes around the dog's snout.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Those bumps will push out deduction limitations and result in upward adjustments to tax brackets and increases to other key thresholds.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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If you’re doomed to go 4-8 again, give the locals something to cling to while they’re stuck riding over the bumps.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cherry picks up a knife and slashes Laura’s tires on the way out, for good measure.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
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This high-speed rotation slashes production time for cylindrical components by more than two-thirds.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bruises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruises. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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