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to harm

to harm

500 1.0
To cause a bad effect on people or things
  • verb
  • /hɑrm/
: dañar
  • Under no circumstances will the troops harm innocent people, let alone young students.
  • harm people
  • harm children
  • harm the environment

And I don't feel compelled to harm people in their ignorance.

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Examples

  • Transgenic fish have the potential to harm native populations in the same ways as traditional non-native species.

    Academic text (1999)
  • I had no intention of harming them, right?

  • And never, never harm anything that lives.

  • No one will harm you.

  • Where is this desire to harm coming from?

  • - Well she thinks it could damage me and like harm my recovery.

  • The people were trying to harm him, that he had been targeted.

  • And all this does is harm the LGBTQ plus community.

  • Instead, this bill will harm Women's Health in a very clear way.

  • The new regulations aim to prevent companies from harming the environment.

Synonyms

to attack
vsto harm
62 4.9

To start damaging something, for example by disease or chemicals

is the general notion of causing damage rather than a sudden assault
to wound
vsto harm
12 2.3

To cut or hurt someone's body physically

is broader, including mental injury and nonphysical damage
to injure
vsto harm
10 1.6

Cause harm to people or things, for example to a company's good name

is broader, covering both physical and mental damage
to do ill
vsto harm
  • Offensive
2 7.5

To harm someone or cause them trouble

emphasizes wrongful action as well as causing injury
to trouble
vsto harm
1 4.8

To make someone feel sick or have pain in the body

is broader, including mental and nonmedical damage
to disserve
vsto harm
1 8.8

To cause harm that makes someone worse off

is more general, meaning physical or mental damage rather than only disadvantage

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

726 1.2

To become healthy again after an injury, illness, or emotional pain

Idioms

To hurt someone in any way, even a little

How Harmful

to kill
  • NSFW
∞ 1.0
to maim
  • NSFW
48 7.0
to harm
500 1.0
to injure
10 1.6
to bother
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

harm infinitive
harmed past
harmed past participle
harming present participle
harms third person singular

Etymology

The word harm comes from the same old English word hearm meaning 'injury', so to harm someone is to cause hurt or damage to them.