hurt
verb
\ ˈhərt
\
\
hurt;
hurting
Definition of hurt
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: to inflict with physical pain : wound
He hurt his back while moving some boxes. was seriously hurt in a car accident You're hurting my arm!
b
: to do substantial or material harm to : damage
the dry summer has hurt the land
2a
: to cause emotional pain or anguish to : offend
never meant to hurt you got her feelings hurt
b
: to be detrimental to : hamper
charges of graft hurt his chances of being elected
1a
: to suffer pain or grief
He says his tooth hurts. has been hurting ever since learning of her friend's betrayal
b
: to be in need
—usually used with for hurting for money
2
: to cause damage or distress
hit where it hurts
hurt
nounDefinition of hurt (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for hurt
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Noun
affliction, agony, anguish, distress, excruciation, misery, pain, rack, strait(s), torment, torture, travail, tribulation, woe
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Examples of hurt in a Sentence
Verb
Be careful with that knife or you could hurt yourself. Ouch! You're hurting my arm! She was badly hurt in a car accident. My tooth still hurts me. When I woke up this morning I hurt all over. Their lack of interest in her work hurt her deeply. You're only hurting yourself by holding a grudge against them. It hurt me to see her go. The lack of rain has hurt the corn crop. If we lose this game it will seriously hurt our chances of making the play-offs.Noun
Her sympathy eased the hurt he felt after his dog's death. They felt a great hurt after their bitter divorce. She tried to put past hurts behind her.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Jackson stepped into the starting role mid-season when Joe Flacco got hurt and never looked back as the 2018 late first-round pick led Baltimore to six wins in its final seven games to win the division. — Si Wire, SI.com, "Ravens vs. Dolphins Live Stream: Watch Online, TV Channel, Start Time," 8 Sep. 2019 Regulators are examining whether the companies have used their market power to crimp competition, potentially raising prices and hurting consumers. — Washington Post, "As feds loom, states hit Facebook, Google with new probes," 8 Sep. 2019 Nelson recorded four tackles in the 49-0 victory over South Florida but was hurt making a tackle on a running play late in the third quarter. — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW's Quintez Cephus celebrates his return to Camp Randall Stadium with two touchdowns," 7 Sep. 2019 Esparza has been convicted of hurting and endangering children in the past, court records show. — Hannah Dellinger, Houston Chronicle, "Police: Boyfriend arrested after 5-year-old left dead in closet," 6 Sep. 2019 Recession fears aside, there are also legitimate worries that the US-China trade war will hurt corporate profits for leading US blue chip companies like Apple, Coke, GM and Caterpillar. — Paul R. La Monica, CNN, "How to find yield in a low-rate world," 6 Sep. 2019 The Spectator announced, declaring that even though the opposition parties and 21 Conservative defectors voted to block a no-deal Brexit Tuesday night, an election will hurt Labour in the end. — Stephen Paduano, The New Republic, "Boris Johnson Goes for Broke," 6 Sep. 2019 And then what happens is one partner or the other has been rejected over a series of months or years, so the initiating partner stops asking because the rejection hurts too much. — Christina Oehler, Health.com, "What Does It Mean to Have a 'Dead Bedroom' Relationship? We Asked a Sex Therapist," 3 Sep. 2019 President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, suggesting that the Justice Department had hurt the chances of Republicans in midterm elections with the recent indictments of two GOP congressmen. — orlandosentinel.com, "Today in history: September 3," 3 Sep. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Georgia is in some doo-doo in the passing game if Fromm gets hurt. — Christopher Smith, al, "2019 SEC football power rankings from a gambling perspective," 21 Aug. 2019 There's also been some speculation that top center Patrice Bergeron is playing hurt; when Boston had a big lead late in Game 3, Bergeron didn't play the final seven minutes. — Isabelle Khurshudyan, courant.com, "Stanley Cup Final shows there’s still room for ‘heavy’ hockey in NHL," 4 June 2019 This is the truth and the false narrative and deliberate lies must stop before anyone else is hurt. — Ann Schlarb, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: Here’s the truth about GEO Care’s work in criminal justice," 23 Aug. 2019 Data compiled from hospitals in Los Angeles, Austin, and elsewhere indicates that, yes, some people are getting hurt riding the things. — Aarian Marshall, WIRED, "Ford’s Bid for Safer Scooters? Tracking College Kids," 21 Aug. 2019 Besides, Muncy could still make the team if another player gets hurt or withdraws. — Houston Mitchell, latimes.com, "Dodgers Dugout: A statistical look at the bullpen; Joe Davis answers your questions," 2 July 2019 That free pass hurt, as Rougned Odor followed by lining a double off the glove of Yasmani Grandal at first. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Rangers 1, Brewers 0: Mike Minor dominates Milwaukee in a pitcher's duel," 11 Aug. 2019 No Bengals players were especially overjoyed when Vontaze Burfict returned to the team after his multiple concussions and other assorted hurts. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: Cincinnati Reds acquisition of pitcher Gausman positively extravagant," 6 Aug. 2019 Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Dayton, Ohio Sunday night in honor of the nine people killed and 27 hurt in a shooting there earlier in the day, about 13 hours after the El Paso attack. — CBS News, "Witness describes Dayton rampage: "All I can hear is the screams"," 5 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hurt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.