injure

verb

in·​jure ˈin-jər How to pronounce injure (audio)
injured; injuring ˈin-j(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce injure (audio)
Synonyms of injurenext

transitive verb

1
a
: to inflict bodily hurt on
b
: to impair the soundness of
injured her health
c
: to inflict material damage or loss on
2
a
: to harm, impair, or tarnish the standing of
injured his reputation
b
: to give pain to
injure a person's pride
c
: to do an injustice to : wrong
injurer
ˈin-jər-ər How to pronounce injure (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for injure

injure, harm, hurt, damage, impair, mar mean to affect injuriously.

injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success.

badly injured in an accident

harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss.

careful not to harm the animals

hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings.

hurt by their callous remarks

damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness.

a table damaged in shipping

impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution.

years of smoking had impaired his health

mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement.

the text is marred by many typos

Examples of injure in a Sentence

She fell and injured herself. She fell and slightly injured her arm. Several people were badly injured in the accident.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The fish, which can grow to 30 feet in length and feed on krill, have typically washed up on beaches when injured or disoriented, according to scientists. —James Doubek, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024 There were no fatalities but two people were seriously injured with severe burns from a powerful explosion Tuesday night that destroyed several condominiums and heavily damaged others in Orion Township, authorities confirmed on Wednesday. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 20 Nov. 2024 Shyne was accused of firing a gun at Club New York in December 1997, a shooting that left three people injured: hairstylist Natania Reuben was shot in the face, Julius Jones was shot in the shoulder and Robert Thompson also suffered injuries but refused medical treatment. —Nicole Briese, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024 Editor's note: This story was updated after NOPD said Monday the number of people injured had risen to 11. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for injure 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enjuren, from Anglo-French *enjurer, from Late Latin injuriare, from Latin injuria injury

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Time Traveler
The first known use of injure was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near injure

injurant

injure

in jure cessio

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Injure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/injure. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

injure

verb
in·​jure ˈin-jər How to pronounce injure (audio)
injured; injuring ˈinj-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce injure (audio)
1
: to do an injustice to : wrong
2
: to cause pain or harm to
injured her arm
injured his pride
3
: to cause to suffer damage or loss
a tax that injured business
houses injured by the storm

Medical Definition

injure

transitive verb
in·​jure ˈin-jər How to pronounce injure (audio)
injured; injuring ˈinj-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce injure (audio)
1
: to inflict bodily hurt on
2
: to impair the soundness of
injure your health

Legal Definition

injure

1 of 2 transitive verb
in·​jure
injured; injuring
1
: to interfere with or violate the legally protected interests of: as
a
: to harm the physical, emotional, or mental well-being of
b
: to cause (another) to suffer from damage to, deprivation of, or interference with property or a property interest
c
: to violate the constitutionally or otherwise legally protected rights of
2
: to mar or impair the soundness or appearance of (as a building) : deface

in jure

2 of 2 adverb
in ju·​re
in-ˈju̇r-ē, -ˈyü-rā
: in right, law, or justice
Etymology

Latin

More from Merriam-Webster on injure

Nglish: Translation of injure for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of injure for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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