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
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Recent Examples of bruises
George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
At right, bruises can be seen on her wrist.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
As the children arrived at their foster homes, some of them in pairs, many had scratches, red marks, scars, and old bruises on various parts of their bodies.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
An autopsy performed Monday did not produce an initial cause of death, but the Lake County Coroner’s Office said Pierce was malnourished and had numerous bruises.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Though his bruises have faded, the effects of his traumatic brain injuries linger.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Look for citrus fruits that feel firm and smooth, with no soft spots or bruises.
—Zia Sherrell, Health, 7 Feb. 2026
The struggle left several agents with bite wounds, scrapes and bruises that required medical treatment.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
With further usage, there’s a high likelihood of other injuries, such as bone bruises or meniscus tears.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
But Kaszas’ ultimate destiny had nothing to do with inflicting — or receiving — bruises, contusions or broken limbs.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
At right, bruises can be seen on her wrist.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
As the children arrived at their foster homes, some of them in pairs, many had scratches, red marks, scars, and old bruises on various parts of their bodies.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
An autopsy performed Monday did not produce an initial cause of death, but the Lake County Coroner’s Office said Pierce was malnourished and had numerous bruises.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Though his bruises have faded, the effects of his traumatic brain injuries linger.
—Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Look for citrus fruits that feel firm and smooth, with no soft spots or bruises.
—Zia Sherrell, Health, 7 Feb. 2026
The struggle left several agents with bite wounds, scrapes and bruises that required medical treatment.
—Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
With further usage, there’s a high likelihood of other injuries, such as bone bruises or meniscus tears.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruises
Noun
-
Chemical irritants affect the eyes, skin and lungs first, causing scratches to the surface of the eye, painful skin reactions, breathing difficulties and acute psychological distress.—
Michele Heisler,
The Conversation,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Forwards Pavol Regenda, Jeff Skinner, and defenseman Sam Dickinson will be the healthy scratches.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The struggle left several agents with bite wounds, scrapes and bruises that required medical treatment.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Fortunately, the children have a lot of bruises, scrapes and cuts, all stuff that is easily managed.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What once killed campaigns now barely wounds them.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Even with all of them in place, Shirley misses the masked attacker sneaking his way up to the apartment door, and Lamb’s attempt to blind him with bleach creates a chaotic struggle that wounds the assailant without containing him.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But Kaszas’ ultimate destiny had nothing to do with inflicting — or receiving — bruises, contusions or broken limbs.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
A couple of days later, Vonn crashed badly in training and suffered severe back and hip contusions.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In his report, the medical examiner raised the possibility that Bullock had suffered injuries from the altercation with Chloe and Tomlyn, noting abrasions and lacerations on Bullock’s head along with the skull fractures.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Feb. 2026
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The medical examiner’s report stated that Lunas Campos had scattered superficial abrasions on his body, hemorrhage in muscles and connective tissues on the neck, and signs of smaller hemorrhaging on the eyelids and skin of the neck.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Kabocha is usually dark green or orange with faint stripes or bumps on the outside, with vibrant orange flesh on the inside.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
9 Feb. 2026
-
This victory bumps Italy's curling team up to fourth place, right behind Canada.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Orchestrated by a central process orchestration layer such as zenon, this approach accelerates scale-up from lab to full production, slashes changeover time, reduces waste, and breaks vendor lock‑in while protecting existing assets and enabling continuous improvement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The system slashes both capital expenditure and long-term maintenance costs.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bruises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruises. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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