damage

²damage

verb

dam·ageddam·ag·ing

Definition of DAMAGE

transitive verb

: to cause damage to <don't damage the furniture> <returning soldiers damaged by war>

— dam·age·abil·i·ty \ˌda-mi-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— dam·ag·er noun

Examples of DAMAGE

1. Please return any items that are damaged during shipping.
2. Many homes were damaged or completely destroyed in the fire.
3. The fall severely damaged her knee.
4. Smoking can seriously damage your lungs.
5. The scandal significantly damaged her career.
6. This news will undoubtedly damage the governor's reputation.
7. He was worried that his comments had seriously damaged their relationship.
8. He's trying to repair his damaged reputation.

First Known Use of DAMAGE

14th century

Related to DAMAGE

Synonyms: blemish, bloody, break, compromise, crab, cripple, cross (up), deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate

Antonyms: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

Related Words: deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken; erode, scour, wash out, wear (away); blight, tarnish; dent, ding, dint; botch, gum (up), queer; lacerate, wound; disable, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, torment, torture; annihilate, bang up, bash, batter, clobber, crush, dash, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, scourge, shatter, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wreck

Near Antonyms: cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy; edit, remodel, revise; ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

See Synonym Discussion at injure