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NAmE//hɑrm//
harm somebody/somethingVerb Forms present simple I / you / we / they harm he / she / it harms
past simple harmed
-ing form harming
- hurt
- harm
- impair
- damage to cause physical harm to something, making it less attractive, useful, or valuable; to have a bad effect on someone or something's health, happiness, or chances of success:The fire badly damaged the town hall. emotionally damaged children
- hurt (somewhat informal) to have a bad effect on someone or something's life, health, happiness, or chances of success:Hard work never hurt anyone.
- harm to have a bad effect on someone or something's life, health, happiness, or chances of success:Pollution can harm marine life.
- Hurt is slightly less formal than damage or harm, especially when it is used in negative statements:It won't hurt him to have to wait a bit. It won't damage/harm him to have to wait a bit.Harm is also often used to talk about ways in which things in the natural world, such as wildlife and the environment, are affected by human activity.
- impair (somewhat formal) to damage someone's health, abilities, or chances:Even one drink can impair driving performance.
- to damage/hurt/harm/impair somebody's chances
- to damage/hurt/harm somebody's interests/reputation
- to damage/harm/impair somebody's health
- to seriously/greatly damage/hurt/harm/impair somebody/something
- to badly/severely damage/hurt/impair somebody/something
to not hurt someone physically in any way
Check pronunciation: harm