damage

1 of 2

noun

dam·​age ˈda-mij How to pronounce damage (audio)
Synonyms of damagenext
1
: loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation
flood damage
sustained severe damage to her knee
2
damages plural : compensation in money imposed by law for loss or injury
The judge awarded them $5,000 in damages.
3
: expense, cost
"What's the damage?" he asked the waiter

damage

2 of 2

verb

damaged; damaging

transitive verb

: to cause damage (see damage entry 1 sense 1) to
don't damage the furniture
returning soldiers damaged by war
damageability
ˌda-mi-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce damage (audio)
noun
damager noun

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for damage

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 damage in a Sentence

Noun The items were carefully wrapped to protect them from damage during shipping. The city sustained heavy damage during the war. Fortunately the boat suffered no serious damage in the storm. The fall caused considerable damage to her knee. The disease is known to cause permanent brain damage. The scandal caused significant damage to her career. You've said enough. Please leave before you do any more damage. He tried to repair the damage by apologizing. He apologized, but the damage was already done. Verb Please return any items that are damaged during shipping. Many homes were damaged or completely destroyed in the fire. The fall severely damaged her knee. Smoking can seriously damage your lungs. The scandal significantly damaged her career. This news will damage his reputation. He was worried that his comments had damaged their relationship. He's trying to repair his damaged reputation.
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.
Noun
The building and its contents sustained around $100,000 in damage during the fire, WIVB reported. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025 The magnitude of the attack and the extent of its damage was not immediately known. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Cuomo has sought to cast Mamdani, a 34-year-old state assemblymember, as a naive candidate whose agenda would damage the city. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025 The storm has also inundated parts of the Dominican Republic, damaging over 100 homes and knocking out water service in several parts of the country, officials said. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for damage

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from dan damage, from Latin damnum — see damn entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of damage was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing damage

Rhymes for damage

See All Rhymes for damage

Browse Nearby Words

dama de noche
damage
damageable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Damage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damage. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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Kids Definition

damage

1 of 2 noun
dam·​age ˈdam-ij How to pronounce damage (audio)
1
: a loss or harm caused by injury to one's person or property
2
plural : payment in money ordered by a court for loss or injury
collected damages for his broken arm in the accident claim

damage

2 of 2 verb
damaged; damaging
: to cause damage to

Legal Definition

damage

1 of 2 noun
dam·​age
1
: loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation
2
plural : the money awarded to a party in a civil suit as reparation for the loss or injury for which another is liable see also additur, cover, mitigate, remittitur compare declaratory judgment at judgment sense 1a, injunction, specific performance at performance

Note: The trier of fact determines the amount of damages to be awarded to the prevailing party. More than one type of damages may be awarded for a single injury.

— actual damages
: damages deemed to compensate the injured party for losses sustained as a direct result of the injury suffered

called also compensatory damages

— consequential damages
: special damages in this entry
— direct damages
: damages for a loss that is an immediate, natural, and foreseeable result of the wrongful act compare special damages in this entry
— exemplary damages \ ig-​ˈzem-​plə-​rē-​ \
: punitive damages in this entry
— expectation damages
: damages recoverable for breach of contract and designed to put the injured party in the position he or she would have been in had the contract been completed

called also expectancy damages

— general damages
: damages for a loss that is the natural, foreseeable, and logical result of a wrongful act compare special damages in this entry
: damages for losses (as pain and suffering, inconvenience, or loss of lifestyle) whose monetary values are difficult to assign
— hedonic damages \ hi-​ˈdä-​nik-​ \
: damages deemed to compensate for the loss of enjoyment of life resulting from a wrongful act

Note: Hedonic damages are not recognized in all jurisdictions.

— incidental damages
: damages recoverable under section 2-715 of the Uniform Commercial Code in breach of contract cases for losses that include expenses incurred in handling and caring for goods which were the subject of the contract, reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining cover, and any other reasonable expenses resulting from the breach that do not fall into any other category
— liquidated damages
: damages whose amount is agreed upon by the parties to a contract as adequately compensating for loss in the event of a breach

called also stipulated damages

Note: Liquidated damages in an amount exceeding that needed to reasonably compensate the injured party constitute a penalty and are therefore void.

— moratory damages
in the civil law of Louisiana : damages recoverable for loss resulting from an obligor's delay in performing

Note: Compensatory damages are recoverable in a case of failure to perform.

— nominal damages
: damages awarded in a small amount (as one dollar) in cases in which a party has been injured but no loss resulted from the injury or in which the injured party failed to prove that loss resulted from the injury
— presumed damages
: damages that are presumed under the law to result naturally and necessarily from a tortious act and that therefore do not require proof
— punitive damages
: damages awarded in cases of serious or malicious wrongdoing to punish or deter the wrongdoer or deter others from behaving similarly

called also exemplary damages, smart money

— special damages
: damages awarded in an amount deemed to compensate for losses that arise not as a natural result of the injury but because of some particular circumstance of the injured party
specifically : damages relating to a business, profession, or property that are easily calculable in monetary terms

called also consequential damages

compare direct damages in this entry general damages in this entry

Note: Because special damages do not arise in every case, they must be specifically requested in the pleadings. This is an issue of particular importance in cases of harm to reputation, such as slander, libel, and malicious prosecution.

— stipulated damages
in the civil law of Louisiana : liquidated damages in this entry
— treble damages \ ˈtre-​bəl-​ \
: damages awarded in an amount that is three times the amount for which the trier of fact finds the wrongdoer liable

Note: Treble damages are recoverable where authorized by statute and are usually imposed as a punishment.

3
plural : losses for which damages are recoverable
did not incur damages, because he was unlikely to win the foreclosure case—Rosalind Resnick

damage

2 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to damages
a damage action
a damage remedy
Etymology

Noun

Old French, from dam injury, harm, from Latin damnum financial loss, fine

More from Merriam-Webster on damage

Nglish: Translation of damage for Spanish Speakers

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