harmed; harming; harms
: to damage or injure physically or mentally : to cause harm (see harm entry 1) to
No animals were harmed in the making of the film.
the national interest … was gravely harmed by this attack—
Elmer Davis
Elmer Davis
harmer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of harm in a Sentence
Noun
They threatened him with bodily harm.
The scandal has done irreparable harm to his reputation.
She'll do anything to protect her children from harm.
They have suffered serious physical harm.
These new regulations could cause lasting harm to small businesses.
Verb
He would never intentionally harm his children.
chemicals that could harm the environment
The scandal has seriously harmed his reputation.
Recent Examples on the WebSara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Israel must implement steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers, Biden told Netanyahu.
—NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
The harm is bigger than Diddy, and that’s why the movement has to be bigger than Diddy.
—Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Making matters worse, like a nightmarish self-fulfilling prophecy, the very words used by clinicians might well have caused some of this harm.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
After months of growing concern about the war’s civilian toll and growing criticism of Israeli efforts to avoid civilian harm, U.S. weapons still flow.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The restorative-justice circles were fraught not only with accusations of harm but, often, with significant cultural divides.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
Normally, the Court asks for far more than such speculation to establish harm.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
But when the boy threatened to harm himself, deputies kicked down the door and tried to apprehend him, Dicus said.
—Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
Although the man was not harmed, Garcia still faced assault with a deadly weapon charges.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Using these devices without proper filters can damage to the equipment and harm your eyes.
—The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024
Virginia could soon evaluate schools in the state using ratings like stars or letter grades, a change that proponents say increases transparency but critics worry could harm low-performing schools.
—Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
How Apple keeps customers loyal to the iPhone — and whether its practices harm competition — is at the heart of the government’s antitrust suit against the Cupertino giant.
—Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Lead is toxic, and exposure to any amount of lead can harm health, according to health officials.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
Washington and its like-minded allies should, then, focus on reforming the states whose leaders harm their publics on a daily basis.
—Renad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
While no state has gone as far as Oregon, others have taken a harm reduction approach to drug use and possession − the concept of keeping people alive and as healthy as possible for a chance at recovery − while recognizing that punitive measures such as prison sentences haven’t solved the problem.
—Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Israel must implement steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers, Biden told Netanyahu.
—NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
The harm is bigger than Diddy, and that’s why the movement has to be bigger than Diddy.
—Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Making matters worse, like a nightmarish self-fulfilling prophecy, the very words used by clinicians might well have caused some of this harm.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
After months of growing concern about the war’s civilian toll and growing criticism of Israeli efforts to avoid civilian harm, U.S. weapons still flow.
—Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The restorative-justice circles were fraught not only with accusations of harm but, often, with significant cultural divides.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
Normally, the Court asks for far more than such speculation to establish harm.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2024
Verb
Daniela Troconis: Michelle would never harm anybody, anyway.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
But when the boy threatened to harm himself, deputies kicked down the door and tried to apprehend him, Dicus said.
—Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024
Although the man was not harmed, Garcia still faced assault with a deadly weapon charges.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Using these devices without proper filters can damage to the equipment and harm your eyes.
—The Arizona Republic, 3 Apr. 2024
Virginia could soon evaluate schools in the state using ratings like stars or letter grades, a change that proponents say increases transparency but critics worry could harm low-performing schools.
—Karina Elwood, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
How Apple keeps customers loyal to the iPhone — and whether its practices harm competition — is at the heart of the government’s antitrust suit against the Cupertino giant.
—Brian X. Chen, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Lead is toxic, and exposure to any amount of lead can harm health, according to health officials.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
Washington and its like-minded allies should, then, focus on reforming the states whose leaders harm their publics on a daily basis.
—Renad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near harm
Cite this Entry
“Harm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harm. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share