injure

verb in·jure \ˈin-jər\

: to harm or damage (someone or something)

in·juredin·jur·ing \ˈinj-riŋ, ˈin-jə-\

Full Definition of INJURE

transitive verb

a : to do an injustice to : wrong

b : to harm, impair, or tarnish the standing of <injured his reputation>

c : to give pain to <injure a person's pride>

a : to inflict bodily hurt on

b : to impair the soundness of <injured her health>

c : to inflict material damage or loss on

— in·jur·er \ˈin-jər-ər\ noun

See injure defined for English-language learners

See injure defined for kids

Origin of INJURE

Middle English enjuren, from Anglo-French *enjurer, from Late Latin injuriare, from Latin injuria injury

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to INJURE

Synonyms: damage, harm, hurt, wound

Antonyms: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

Synonym Discussion of INJURE

injure, harm, hurt, damage, impair, mar mean to affect injuriously. injure implies the inflicting of anything detrimental to one's looks, comfort, health, or success <badly injured in an accident>. harm often stresses the inflicting of pain, suffering, or loss <careful not to harm the animals>. hurt implies inflicting a wound to the body or to the feelings <hurt by their callous remarks>. damage suggests injury that lowers value or impairs usefulness <a table damaged in shipping>. impair suggests a making less complete or efficient by deterioration or diminution <years of smoking had impaired his health>. mar applies to injury that spoils perfection (as of a surface) or causes disfigurement <the text is marred by many typos>.