damages
Britishplural noun
Explanation
Damages are the official amount of money awarded to the winner in a law suit. If you're hurt in a car accident that's another driver's fault, you may end up collecting damages. The legal term damages usually refers to money that's owed or received to compensate someone for a loss or an injury. If a business owner's negligence — not clearing ice from a sidewalk, for example — causes you to be injured, you can sue her for damages to pay for your broken arm and the days of work you had to miss. Sometimes a court awards "punitive damages" as well, which are specifically intended to punish the defendant.
Vocabulary lists containing damages
The Skin I'm In
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Hitler Youth
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City of the Plague God
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He said he hopes the film will "get people to speak about the damages that can be caused by companies like Facebook."
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
A federal judge would have the power to order an agency to take action on a permit application, and in some cases pay economic damages caused by the delay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
He was found to have lied in libel action he had brought against The Star newspaper, in which he was awarded £500,000 in damages.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Last year, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Boulder County may sue for damages in a local court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Orson Welles, the Mercury, and CBS faced thousands of dollars worth of lawsuits for personal injury, mental anguish, and damages.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
