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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)

Explanation

Harm is a deliberate injury or damage to someone or something. A playground bully is a mean kid who causes harm to other kids. Harm is both a noun and a verb — when you inflict harm on your brother, you harm him. Physically hurting someone is only one way to harm them. If a classmate spreads a mean rumor about you, that also harms you. The Old English root word is hearm, which means "hurt" and "pain," but also "evil" and "insult."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

"She's suffered no harm to her reputation, indeed, her career has progressed," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

The states that sued to block the merger said the deal would result in too much concentration of local stations and harm competition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

This would harm construction, brokerage, interior design, maintenance and high-end retail — real-estate-related industries that support thousands of jobs — undermining NYC’s status as a global wealth hub.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

“We do not want to engage in any of these activities that could harm our property or our lives. We would want to avoid that,” Harsimran Singh said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

We were swimming with Willa when Gran shrieked her warnings that the cold water could harm our gallbladders.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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.