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Showing results for harm. Search instead for HARH.
Synonyms

harm

1 American  
[hahrm] / hɑrm /

noun

  1. physical injury or mental damage; hurt.

    to do him bodily harm.
    Antonyms:
    benefit

  2. moral injury; evil; wrong.

verb (used with object)

  1. to do or cause harm to; injure; damage; hurt.

    to harm one's reputation.
    Synonyms:
    abuse, maltreat
    Antonyms:
    help
HARM 2 American  
[hahrm] / hɑrm /

noun

Military.

  1. a U.S. air-to-surface missile designed to detect and destroy radar sites by homing on their emissions.

harm British  
/ hɑːm /

noun

  1. physical or mental injury or damage

  2. moral evil or wrongdoing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to injure physically, morally, or mentally

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
harm Idioms  

  1. see do one wrong (harm); out of harm's way.

Related Words

See damage.

Other Word Forms

  • harmer noun
  • self-harming adjective
  • unharmed adjective
  • unharming adjective

Etymology

Origin of harm1

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hearm; cognate with German Harm, Old Norse harmr

Origin of HARM2

H(igh-speed) A(nti) R(adiation) M(issile)

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.

Fifty-five percent of Americans say AI will do more harm than good in their day-to-day lives, an 11% increase since last April, according to poll results released Monday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Although these parasites had been killed during the canning process and would not harm consumers, they hold valuable scientific information.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

Don’t parents have a responsibility to monitor their children’s activities, and, if necessary, keep them from harm?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Recognition alone is not enough; the state must also take responsibility for the harm it caused and ensure transparency, accountability, and reparative action.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

“And there’s nothing anyone on this bench can do about it, so there can’t be any harm in telling you. Right?”

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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.