damage 1 of 2

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2
as in fine
damages plural a sum of money to be paid as a punishment ordered by the court to pay $1000 in damages

Synonyms & Similar Words

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damage

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word damage distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of damage are harm, hurt, impair, injure, and mar. While all these words mean "to affect injuriously," damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

When can harm be used instead of damage?

Although the words harm and damage have much in common, harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

Where would hurt be a reasonable alternative to damage?

In some situations, the words hurt and damage are roughly equivalent. However, hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

When might impair be a better fit than damage?

The words impair and damage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

When could injure be used to replace damage?

While the synonyms injure and damage are close in meaning, injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

In what contexts can mar take the place of damage?

The words mar and damage can be used in similar contexts, but mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of damage
Noun
Causes of vision loss and blindness include: Diabetic retinopathy: This condition, caused by diabetes, can lead to permanent damage of the retina, which is the area in the back of your eye that translates light into signals that your brain can understand. Heidi Cope, Health, 19 Apr. 2025 Tesla Dealership The Kansas City resident, who attends college in Boston, was charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and one count of malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce, per a DOJ press release. Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
Another is that it could have been brought aboard for repairs after getting damaged at the Battle of Coral Sea, officials told the Herald. Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2025 Our roads are damaged, while the City seems to rapidly invest W of 35 and in the Northern suburbs. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for damage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damage
Noun
  • Regulators need to document legitimate harm that is caused by these products, and that process can take years.
    Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The harms behind additional screening could include subsequent testing, such as biopsies, and exposure to more radiation if follow-up X-rays are ordered.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • That arrangement ended the appeal process, rescinded the suspension, and maintained a $5,000 fine, which was part of Chisholm’s initial discipline.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
  • The report also noted that Lemonis has held out against the lawsuits and continues to fly the huge flags, which continue to incur fines.
    Luke Gentile, The Washington Examiner, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In these instances, many survivors never see their abusers held accountable and never receive proper compensation because many attorneys view these cases as infeasible, thereby denying survivors access to the civil justice system.
    Samantha Dos Santos, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Employee compensation as a share of national income had been 61.8% during that 2010-to-2019 period.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But that price and the CPI cost of eggs overall, which was up 5.9% in March, may not accurately reflect the drop in wholesale prices that started in the middle of the month.
    Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • If the project were to move forward, the letter says, Jennifer would not be displaced and would be provided with temporary housing, with moving costs reimbursed.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Memorial at Florida State University after a fatal shooting killed two people and injured several others.
    Kati Weis, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • The spill killed 11 people and injured 17 others as 210 million gallons of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico (recently renamed by the U.S. government as Gulf of America) for a total of 87 days.
    Terry Collins, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In 2013, three people were killed and hundreds were wounded during the Boston Marathon bombings, when two men detonated homemade bombs at the race's finish line.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Madrid, whose calendar is now rather less full, have wounded egos to repair.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In response to questions from Jackson, Nuttall agreed that injuries to O'Keefe's face could have been caused by a punch to the face.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Investigations revealed assailants had used a sticky bomb to ignite the fire, causing 4 pilgrim deaths and over 20 injuries.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Two of his goals came from the penalty spot, while the other two both saw Surridge run onto a long ball beyond Chicago’s backline.
    Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
  • According to Texas law, these charges can carry a penalty of up to $10,000 in fines and jail time of up to two years.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damage. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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