as in damages
something that causes loss or pain
you were lucky to survive the fire without harm no harm in trying
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in injures
to cause bodily damage to
though she wasn't harmed by the flying glass, she slipped and fell on a piece and cut her hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hurts
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the company's reputation has been harmed by allegations of crooked accounting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harms
Jennifer Elias,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Disability rights advocates say there’s no excuse for not following the federal mandate 35 years after its passage and that these lawsuits identify real harms.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
The real estate investor pointed out that such harms are sometimes unavoidable.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
School districts and parents across the nation have alleged that the actions and apps of Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap cause harms to the mental health of teens and children.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Buterin’s proposals include liability rules that hold AI users, deployers, and developers accountable for harms, which would create pressure to build AI tools rather than autonomous agents.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
There is also a growing body of credible evidence showing how EdTech inflicts emotional, cognitive, physical, and developmental harms on children, adolescents, and young adults, while displacing the human relationships that are essential to healthy human development and well-being.
—Dr. Timothy Scott, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
And other countries without strict lead limits are still seeing harms.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced in February that the country plans to limit social media access for children under 16, in a move designed to shield young people from the harms of online content.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Opinion Staff, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Science shows that burning coal harms human health and contributes to climate change.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Admitting underprepared students, especially those already disadvantaged, harms them.
—David Blobaum, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Another jury in New Mexico said Tuesday that Meta violates state laws and harms children's safety and mental health with its platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
—Carmel Wroth, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
In a 2025 Pew Research Center poll, for instance, 48% of teens said social media harms people their age.
—ABC News, 25 Mar. 2026
Here’s a look at the major social media harms cases in the United States.
—Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
Last month, tech executives, including Meta’s chief executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, testified in a landmark trial in Los Angeles over a lawsuit that alleges social media is addictive and harms children.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Cancer vaccine misinformation harms health At first glance, fringe claims such as turbo cancer may seem easy to dismiss.
—Dannell D. Boatman, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
Noun
The evidence presented in Los Angeles bolstered the plaintiff's arguments that Meta and YouTube executives knew of their products' design harms and failed to adequately address them.
—Jennifer Elias,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Disability rights advocates say there’s no excuse for not following the federal mandate 35 years after its passage and that these lawsuits identify real harms.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
The real estate investor pointed out that such harms are sometimes unavoidable.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
School districts and parents across the nation have alleged that the actions and apps of Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap cause harms to the mental health of teens and children.
—Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Buterin’s proposals include liability rules that hold AI users, deployers, and developers accountable for harms, which would create pressure to build AI tools rather than autonomous agents.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
There is also a growing body of credible evidence showing how EdTech inflicts emotional, cognitive, physical, and developmental harms on children, adolescents, and young adults, while displacing the human relationships that are essential to healthy human development and well-being.
—Dr. Timothy Scott, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
And other countries without strict lead limits are still seeing harms.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced in February that the country plans to limit social media access for children under 16, in a move designed to shield young people from the harms of online content.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
Luna himself has acknowledged never finding any, and department policy has always provided for the means to discipline and terminate any employee who engages in behavior that harms the public, fellow employees, or is otherwise prohibited by law.
—Opinion Staff, Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Science shows that burning coal harms human health and contributes to climate change.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Admitting underprepared students, especially those already disadvantaged, harms them.
—David Blobaum, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
Another jury in New Mexico said Tuesday that Meta violates state laws and harms children's safety and mental health with its platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
—Carmel Wroth, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
In a 2025 Pew Research Center poll, for instance, 48% of teens said social media harms people their age.
—ABC News, 25 Mar. 2026
Here’s a look at the major social media harms cases in the United States.
—Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
Last month, tech executives, including Meta’s chief executive and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, testified in a landmark trial in Los Angeles over a lawsuit that alleges social media is addictive and harms children.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Cancer vaccine misinformation harms health At first glance, fringe claims such as turbo cancer may seem easy to dismiss.
—Dannell D. Boatman, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harms
Noun
-
The family is now suing, in part, for monetary damages, disciplinary action against the deputy, and more departmental training.—
Zach Boetto,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
To the extent permitted by applicable law, all judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In her desperation to ask Val for a job on the new sitcom, Sharon falls and injures herself.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Pool drain seriously injures girl Paloma Quatrini was just days away from her fourth birthday when the accident happened at an upscale resort in Mexico.—
Meghan Schiller,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Running hurts your knees and your hips, and even tennis causes shoulder problems.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
This action hurts library patrons, not just the librarians.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Speech-language pathologists work with people who have disorders involving speech, language and swallowing, sometimes from injuries, medical conditions or developmental delays.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The 15-time major champion was able to pull himself out of the passenger's side and didn't appear to suffer any significant injuries as a result of the accident.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Chops, gouges, wounds it like the shadow grooves on the sidewalks—the sun is setting earlier.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Imperfect fleshly reality occupies the stage, the region where bones crack and wounds suppurate, schlumpy humans fall for each other, and jealousy roams murderously free.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No sadness mars the purity of its paranoia.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
However, an earnestness mars most of the proceedings.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the state’s view, that weakens or muddies the legal boundary between the two types of gambling venues.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Justice delayed weakens deterrence.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The author takes an overnight Amtrak journey instead of a flight to Washington as the government shutdown cripples Atlanta’s airport.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harms. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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