- 1[transitive, intransitive] hurt (somebody/something/yourself) to cause physical pain to someone/yourself; to injure someone/yourself He hurt his back playing football. Did you hurt yourself? Stop it. You're hurting me. My back is really hurting me today. Strong light hurts my eyes. My shoes hurt—they're too tight. Topic CollocationsInjuriesbeing injured
- have a fall/an injury
- receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/a gunshot wound/a concussion/whiplash injuries
- hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg
- damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin
- pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon
- sprain/twist your ankle/wrist
- break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs
- fracture/crack your skull
- break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth
- burst/perforate your eardrum
- dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder/elbow
- bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder
- burn/scald yourself/your tongue
- bang/bump/hit your elbow/head/knee (on/against something)
- treat somebody for burns/a head injury/a stab wound
- examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound
- repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage
- amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb
- put on (formal) apply/take off a Band-Aid™/a sterile dressing/a bandage
- need/require/put in/get/take out stitches
- put on/rub on (formal) apply cream/ointment/lotion
- have/receive/undergo physical therapy
- wound
- hurt
- bruise
- sprain
- pull
- strain
- 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?
- 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.
- 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[intransitive] to feel painful My feet hurt. Ouch! That hurt! It hurts when I bend my knee.
- 3[intransitive, transitive] to make someone unhappy or upset What really hurt was that he never answered my letter. hurt somebody/something I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. it hurts (somebody) to do something It hurt me to think that he would lie to me.
- 4[intransitive] be hurting (informal) to feel unhappy or upset I know you're hurting and I want to help you.
- 5[transitive] hurt somebody/something to have a bad effect on someone or something Many people on low incomes will be hurt by the government's plans. Hard work never hurt anyone. Thesaurusdamage
- 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
- 6[intransitive] be hurting (for something) to be in a difficult situation because you need something, especially money His campaign is already hurting for money. Idioms
verb jump to other results
NAmE//hərt//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they hurt he / she / it hurts
past simple hurt
-ing form hurting
to affect someone where they will feel it most
used to say that someone should do a particular thing It wouldn't hurt you to help with the housework occasionally.
to be kind and gentle and unwilling to cause unhappiness
Check pronunciation: hurt