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Definition of bruise noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    bruise

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//bruz//
     
     
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  1. 1a blue, brown, or purple mark that appears on the skin after someone has fallen, been hit, etc. to be covered in bruises cuts and bruises a huge bruise over his eye Thesaurusinjure
    • wound
    • hurt
    • bruise
    • sprain
    • pull
    • strain
    These words all mean to harm yourself or someone else physically, especially in an accident.
    • injure to harm yourself or someone else physically, especially in an accident:He injured his knee playing hockey. Three people were injured in the crash.
    • wound [often passive] (somewhat formal) to injure part of the body, especially by making a hole in the skin using a weapon:Two people were killed and dozens more wounded in the attack. Wound is often used to talk about people being hurt in war or in other attacks which affect a lot of people.
    • hurt (somewhat informal) to cause physical pain to someone or yourself; to injure someone or yourself:Did you hurt yourself?
    injure or hurt?
    • You can hurt or injure a part of the body in an accident. Hurt emphasizes the physical pain caused;injure emphasizes that the part of the body has been damaged in some way.
    • bruise to make a blue, brown, or purple mark (= a bruise) appear on the skin after someone has fallen or been hit; to develop a bruise
    • sprain to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist, or knee, by suddenly bending it in an awkward way, causing pain and swelling
    • pull to damage a muscle, etc., by using too much force
    • strain to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard:Don't strain your eyes by reading in poor light.
    Patterns
    • to injure/hurt/strain yourself
    • to injure/hurt/pull/strain a muscle
    • to injure/hurt/sprain your ankle/knee/wrist
    • to injure/hurt/strain your back/shoulder/eyes
    • to injure/hurt your spine/neck
    • to be badly/severely/slightly injured/wounded/hurt/bruised/sprained
  2. 2a mark on a fruit or vegetable where it is damaged
See bruise in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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