hurt
Americanverb (used with object)
-
hurts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hurt,
past participle, past
-
hurting
present participle
-
to cause bodily injury to; injure.
He was badly hurt in the accident.
-
to cause bodily pain to or in.
The wound still hurts him.
-
to damage or decrease the efficiency of (a material object) by striking, rough use, improper care, etc..
Moths can't hurt this suit because it's mothproof.
Dirty oil can hurt a car's engine.
-
to affect adversely; harm.
to hurt one's reputation;
It wouldn't hurt the lawn if you watered it more often.
-
to cause mental pain to; offend or grieve.
She hurt his feelings by not asking him to the party.
verb (used without object)
-
hurts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hurt,
past participle, past
-
hurting
present participle
-
to feel or suffer bodily or mental pain or distress.
My back still hurts.
- Synonyms:
- ache
-
to cause bodily or mental pain or distress.
The blow to his pride hurt most.
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to cause injury, damage, or harm.
-
to suffer want or need.
noun
adjective
-
physically injured.
The hurt child was taken to the hospital.
-
offended; unfavorably affected.
hurt pride.
-
suggesting that one has been offended or is suffering in mind.
Take that hurt look off your face!
-
damaged.
hurt merchandise.
verb
-
to cause physical pain to (someone or something)
-
to cause emotional pain or distress to (someone)
-
to produce a painful sensation in (someone)
the bruise hurts
-
informal (intr) to feel pain
noun
-
physical, moral, or mental pain or suffering
-
a wound, cut, or sore
-
damage or injury; harm
adjective
noun
Usage
And is hurted in the dictionary? Hurted is not listed as a word in this dictionary. It’s not used as the standard past tense of hurt, nor is it commonly used in any other way. (General note: Just because a word doesn’t appear in the dictionary doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “not a word.” Some people may use it, and if enough people eventually start using it, it may be added to the dictionary.)
What’s the past tense of hurt?
The past tense of hurt is simply hurt. Example: I hurt my arm yesterday. Because the past tense is not formed with -ed, it’s an example of an irregular verb. Like hurt, the past tense form of many other irregular verbs is the same as the present tense. Many common ones are also short words that end in t, such as set, hit, cut, shut, put, and quit.Synonym Usage
See injury.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hurtsimple
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hurtssimple
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have hurtperfect
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has hurtperfect
-
am hurtingprogressive
-
are hurtingprogressive
-
is hurtingprogressive
-
have been hurtingperfect progressive
-
has been hurtingperfect progressive
Past
-
hurtsimple
-
had hurtperfect
-
was hurtingprogressive
-
were hurtingprogressive
-
had been hurtingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hurt
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English verb hurten, hirten, herten “to injure, damage, stumble, knock together,” apparently from Old French hurter “to knock (against), oppose” (compare French heurter, originally dialectal), probably a verbal derivative of Frankish unattested hûrt “ram,” cognate with Old Norse hrūtr; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
If you have a party and no one shows up, you will probably feel hurt: emotionally injured by what's happened. Hurt comes from the Old French hurte, meaning "collision," or "blow." We still have that violent sense in our word hurtle but we use hurt for a whole range of pains. If you stub your toe, it hurts, and if someone is beating you up you might say, "Stop hurting me!" Someone injured in battle or in sports is described as hurt. If you say something you shouldn't on live radio, you'll hurt your chances of winning an election.
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.
See Examples For:
The generic competitor could hurt Ipsen’s 2027 earnings, Jefferies analysts wrote in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
But I also know that if I told her honestly that I didn’t want to spend so much time together, she’d be hurt.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
I always do the analogy of, if you’re out of town and a family member is hurt or sick, it doesn’t matter where you are or why you were out of town.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
He said that he was only speaking about Bin Laden in 2007 in response to "the hurt felt by many Muslims" over a knighthood being awarded to the Satanic Verses author Sir Salman Rushdie.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“I would never hurt a puppy. They are the purest of all creatures.”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
“But reducing inflation is essential. High inflation hurts all Australians and is especially tough on people with lower incomes and those in vulnerable financial positions,” Bullock added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Galaxy give up a late goal and have to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders that hurts their chances of reaching the MLS Cup playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
"It still hurts me deeply when I think back to the senseless manner my friend died because I still don't know what was going on," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
"Every time I see Tibet as someone's location, my heart hurts," a comment read.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
My heart hurts to think of my pretty grandma suffering.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Yes, inside you will be hurting and your pride will be taking a bashing but everyone at the club will be waiting for your reaction, and will act accordingly.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
To his thinking, “the 10-year would surge solidly above 5.00%,” hurting markets.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note touched 5% on Monday, a danger zone that risks hurting stocks and the wider economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
They are still hurting, still missing the loved ones they lost, and they must surely be forever on alert for similar devastations that could come and upend their lives again.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Oh, it’s hurting you? Would you rather I not hold the light and you can feel around in the dark?”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
