bruise 1 of 2

1
as in scratch
a bodily injury in which small blood vessels are broken but the overlying skin is not she got quite a big bruise from walking into the corner of the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in scrape
an area of skin roughened or worn away by harsh rubbing against another surface bruises caused by ill-fitting hiking boots

Synonyms & Similar Words

bruise

2 of 2

verb

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 bruise
Noun
She was hospitalized with severe injuries, including bruising, bite marks and a fractured rib, according to documents. Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 8 July 2025 Instead, bruising inside Aria’s cheeks and cuts in her mouth consistent with being smothered to death were discovered, said Dr. Tran. Miami Herald, 7 July 2025
Verb
There were also bruises on his arms, legs and neck, the nurse said. Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025 There were frequent beatings and hurled objects, many resulting in injuries severe enough to cause bruises and lacerations. Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for bruise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruise
Noun
  • Instead of developing its own native system from scratch, Renault uses a Google operating system.
    Trinity Francis, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Writing your own code (from scratch, at least,) has become quaint.
    Billy Perrigo, Time, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • One person suffered a broken ankle while seven others were transported to a hospital with cuts and scrapes.
    EW.com, EW.com, 18 July 2025
  • One person suffered a broken ankle, seven people were transported to the hospital with cuts and scrapes, and one person declined transport.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, with many of them dashing in the dark with children, pets and blankets to the protection of subway stations, at least 22 people were wounded, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 11 July 2025
  • One person was killed and two others were wounded when the gunman, Thomas Crooks, opened fire.
    Isabel van Brugen, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • Wilson nearly ready for return A’s rookie superstar Jacob Wilson, who left Tuesday’s game with a left hand contusion and missed the following three contests, took on-field batting practice before Friday’s game and should be ready to return to the lineup this weekend, according to Kotsay.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
  • Brown limped to the locker room a few minutes later and did not return with what team officials told reporters was a right ankle contusion.
    Staff, Oc Register, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Strong as a Board Courtesy of Dyneema Thanks to that outer layer of Dyneema, the new Woven Composite has 10 times the abrasion resistance and five times the tear resistance of the older fabric.
    Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 16 July 2025
  • Additionally, Ozcan noted how graphene provides high abrasion resistance and thermal regulation.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Another alleged he was ordered to keep working after a load of fish landed on him, gashing his leg to the bone and overflowing his boot with blood.
    Alex Riggins, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
  • That’s when Brandon Nimmo woke up to head for the hotel bathroom in the middle of the night, somehow fainted, gashed his forehead and wound up arriving at the park later with a bandage on his head and a hospital bracelet around his hand.
    Jayson Stark, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The bump pushed Netflix’s share of all TV use up to 8.3 percent, versus 7.5 percent in May.
    Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2025
  • In June, food prices rose 0.3%, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics—about the same as April, and slightly faster than May’s 0.1% bump.
    Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • Satomi followed her 11-year-old friend to a nearby study room, where — after drawing the curtains — the girl slit Satomi’s throat with a box cutter and kicked her in the head and sides, The Washington Post reported.
    Christine Pelisek, People.com, 15 June 2025
  • Then, the family members would drag their victim to a hidden cellar on the property and slit the victim’s throat, leaving them there to die.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 1 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bruise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruise. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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