- causing damage or injury to somebody/something, especially to a person’s health or to the environment
- the harmful effects of alcohol
- harmful substances/chemicals/bacteria
- the sun’s harmful ultra-violet rays
- Many household products are potentially harmful.
- harmful to somebody/something Exercising in polluted air is harmful to your health.
- Fruit juices can be harmful to children's teeth.
Extra Examples- Keep food chilled to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria.
- Not all virus infections are necessarily harmful.
- These pesticides are environmentally harmful.
- The spraying could prove harmful to humans.
- The extensive use of fertilizers is harmful to the environment.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- prove
- become
- …
- extremely
- very
- particularly
- …
- to
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
harmful