Harm
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -É‘Ë(r)m
Origin
From Old English hearm.
Full definition of harm
Noun
harm
(plural harms)- Injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 13, And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.
- That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
- William ShakespeareWe, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms.
Usage notes
Adjectives often applied to "harm": bodily, physical, environmental, emotional, financial, serious, irreparable, potential, long-term, short-term, permanent, lasting, material, substantial.
Verb
- To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.