Harm — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈhärm/

Meaning & Definition of Harm

Harm (noun)

  1. physical or mental damage, injury
  2. mischief, hurt

Harm (verb)

  1. to damage or injure physically or mentally, to cause harm to

Harm (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. something that causes loss or pain

    "you were lucky to survive the fire without harm"

    "no harm in trying"

    similar: affliction, damage, detriment, hurt, injury
    related: disservice, injustice, outrage, wrong, affront, dart, indignity, insult, offense, beating, crippling, mayhem, mutilation, defacement, disability, disablement, disfigurement, impairment, lesion, rupture, strain, abrasion, chafe, scrape, scratch, boo-boo, bruise, contusion, swelling, wound, bump, concussion, cut, gash, laceration, burn, scald, scar, scathe, sear
    near: healing, recovery, cure, fix, remedy

Harm (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: damage, hurt, injure, wound
    related: batter, bloody, blow out, bruise, contuse, cut, gash, gore, lacerate, scald, scar, scathe, strain, tear, crease, graze, nick, cripple, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, abuse, aggrieve, afflict, maltreat, torment, torture, lay up, blemish, impair, mar, scrape, spoil
    near: cure, fix, heal, mend, remedy

  2. to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

    "the company's reputation has been harmed by allegations of crooked accounting"

    similar: blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), damage, deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate
    related: deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken, erode, scour, wash out, wear (away), blight, tarnish, dent, ding, dint, botch, gum (up), queer, lacerate, wound, disable, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, torment, torture, annihilate, bang up, bash, batter, clobber, crush, dash, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, scourge, shatter, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wreck
    opposite: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp
    near: cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy, edit, remodel, revise, ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

Related Entry: Harm's way (noun)

Harm's way is a different word from Harm. The synonyms below are for harm's way, not for harm.

  1. the state of not being protected from injury, harm, or evil

    "got everyone out of harm's way just minutes before the house was ripped apart by the tornado"

    similar: danger, distress, endangerment, imperilment, jeopardy, peril, risk, trouble
    related: exposure, liability, openness, vulnerability, precariousness, threat, susceptibility, susceptibleness, defenselessness, helplessness, weakness
    opposite: safeness, safety, secureness, security
    near: preservation, salvation, defense, protection, exemption, immunity, impunity, inviolability, invulnerability

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Harm

The most common words with a similar meaning to Harm:

affliction, damage, detriment, hurt, injury, injure, wound, blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, impair, mar, spoil, vitiate

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Harm

Words with the opposite meaning of Harm:

doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

Related Words for Harm

disservice, injustice, outrage, wrong, affront, dart, indignity, insult, offense, beating, crippling, mayhem, mutilation, defacement, disability, disablement, disfigurement, impairment, lesion, rupture, strain, abrasion, chafe, scrape, scratch, boo-boo, bruise, contusion, swelling, bump

Near Antonyms of Harm

healing, recovery, cure, remedy, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, edit, remodel, revise, ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

Word Forms of Harm

Inflections: harmed, harming, harms

Derived words: harmer (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Harm

Middle English, from Old English hearm; akin to Old High German harm injury, Old Church Slavic sramŭ shame

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Harm

Words & Phrases Containing Harm

harm's way, self-harm, do more harm than good, no harm done

Frequently Asked Questions about Harm

What does "Harm" mean?

"Harm" means physical or mental damage, injury. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: physical or mental damage, injury. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Harm"?

Other words for "Harm" include affliction, damage, detriment, hurt, injury, injure, wound and blemish. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Harm" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Harm"?

There are 123 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Harm". Common alternatives include affliction, damage, detriment, hurt, injury, injure, wound, blemish, bloody and break.

What is the opposite of "Harm"?

Antonyms of "Harm" include doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct and renovate. Near antonyms include healing, recovery, cure and remedy.

How do you use "Harm" in a sentence?

Examples of "Harm" in a sentence: "you were lucky to survive the fire without harm"; "no harm in trying"; "though she wasn't harmed by the flying glass, she slipped and fell on a piece and cut her hand".

Is "Harm" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Harm" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Harm" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Harm" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Harm"?

"Harm" is pronounced /ˈhärm/.