- 1 [transitive, intransitive] hurt (somebody/something/yourself) to cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself He hurt his back playing squash. Did you hurt yourself? Stop it. You're hurting me. My back is really hurting me today. Strong light hurts my eyes. My shoes hurt—they're too tight. Synonymsinjurewound hurt bruise sprain pull strainThese words all mean to harm yourself or somebody else physically, especially in an accident.injure to harm yourself or somebody else physically, especially in an accident:He injured his knee playing hockey. Three people were injured in the crash.wound [often passive] (rather formal) to injure part of the body, especially by making a hole in the skin using a weapon:50 people were seriously wounded in the attack. Wound is often used to talk about people being hurt in war or in other attacks which affect a lot of people.hurt to cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself:Did you hurt yourself?injure or hurt?You can hurt or injure a part of the body in an accident. Hurt emphasizes the physical pain caused; injure emphasizes that the part of the body has been damaged in some way.bruise to make a blue, brown or purple mark (= a bruise) appear on the skin after somebody has fallen or been hit; to develop a bruisesprain to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist or knee, by suddenly bending it in an awkward way, causing pain and swellingpull to damage a muscle, etc, by using too much forcestrain to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard:Don’t strain your eyes by reading in poor light.Patterns to injure/hurt/strain yourself to injure/hurt/sprain/pull/strain a muscle to injure/hurt/sprain your ankle/foot/knee/wrist/hand to injure/hurt/strain your back/shoulder/eyes to injure/hurt your spine/neck to be badly/severely/slightly injured/wounded/hurt/bruised/sprained CollocationsInjuriesBeing injured have a fall/an injury receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/(especially British English) whiplash/a gunshot wound hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon sprain/twist your ankle/wrist break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs fracture/crack your skull break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth burst/perforate your eardrum dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder burn/scald yourself/your tongue bang/bump/hit/ (informal) bash your elbow/head/knee (on/against something)Treating injuries treat somebody for burns/a head injury/a stab wound examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb put on/ (formal) apply/take off (especially North American English) a Band-Aid™/(British English) a plaster/a bandage need/require/put in/ (especially British English) have (out)/ (North American English) get (out) stitches put on/rub on/ (formal) apply cream/ointment/lotion have/receive/undergo (British English) physiotherapy/(North American English) physical therapy Wordfinderhurtbandage, bleed, bruise, fracture, hurt, injury, plaster, sore, swell, wound Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbbadly, seriously, actually, … See full entry See related entries: Injuries
- 2 [intransitive] to feel painful My feet hurt. Ouch! That hurt! It hurts when I bend my knee. Synonymshurtache burn sting tingle itch throbThese are all words that can be used when part of your body feels painful.hurt (of part of your body) to feel painful; (of an action) to cause pain:My feet hurt. Ouch! That hurt!ache to feel a continuous dull pain:I’m aching all over.burn (of part of your body) to feel very hot and painful:Our eyes were burning from the chemicals in the air.sting to make somebody feel a sharp burning pain or uncomfortable feeling in part of their body; (of part of your body) to feel this pain:My eyes were stinging from the smoke.tingle (of part of your body) to feel as if a lot of small sharp points are pushing into the skin there:The cold air made her face tingle.itch to have an uncomfortable feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch; to make your skin feel like this:I itch all over. Does the rash itch?throb (of part of your body) to feel pain as a series of regular beats:His head throbbed painfully.Patterns your eyes hurt/ache/burn/sting/itch your skin hurts/burns/stings/tingles/itches your flesh hurts/burns/stings/tingles your head hurts/aches/throbs your stomach hurts/aches to really hurt/ache/burn/sting/tingle/itch/throb to hurt/ache/sting/itch badly/a lot It hurts/stings/tingles/itches. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbbadly, a lot, really, … verb + hurtbe going to, begin to See full entry See related entries: Being ill
- 3 [intransitive, transitive] to make somebody unhappy or upset What really hurt was that he never answered my letter. hurt somebody/something I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. it hurts (somebody) to do something It hurt me to think that he would lie to me. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbbadly, deeply, really, … verb + hurtattempt to, try to, want to, … See full entry
- 4[intransitive] be hurting (informal) to feel unhappy or upset I know you're hurting and I want to help you. See related entries: Unhappiness
- 5[transitive] hurt somebody/something to have a bad effect on somebody/something Many people on low incomes will be hurt by the government's plans. Hard work never hurt anyone. Synonymsdamagehurt harm impairThese words all mean to have a bad effect on somebody/something.damage to cause physical harm to something, making it less attractive, useful or valuable; to have a bad effect on somebody/something’s life, health, happiness or chances of success:The fire badly damaged the town hall. emotionally damaged childrenhurt (rather informal) to have a bad effect on somebody/something’s life, health, happiness or chances of success:Hard work never hurt anyone.harm to have a bad effect on somebody/something’s life, health, happiness or chances of success:Pollution can harm marine life.damage, hurt or harm?Hurt is slightly less formal than damage or harm, especially when it is used in negative statements:It won’t hurt him to have to wait a bit. It won’t damage/harm him to have to wait a bit. Harm is also often used to talk about ways in which things in the natural world such as wildlife and the environment are affected by human activity.impair (rather formal) to damage somebody’s health, abilities or chances:Even one drink can impair driving performance.Patterns to damage/hurt/harm/impair somebody’s chances to damage/hurt/harm somebody’s interests/reputation to damage/harm/impair somebody’s health to seriously/greatly damage/hurt/harm/impair somebody/something to badly/severely damage/hurt/impair somebody/something
- 6[intransitive] be hurting (for something) (North American English) to be in a difficult situation because you need something, especially money His campaign is already hurting for money. Word OriginMiddle English (originally in the senses ‘ to strike’ and ‘a blow’): from Old French hurter (verb), hurt (noun), perhaps ultimately of Germanic origin.Extra examples Are you deliberately trying to hurt me? Does it hurt a lot? Her remarks hurt him deeply. I knew it was going to hurt—but not that much! I never meant to hurt anyone. I was shaken, but not actually hurt. My ankle still hurts quite badly. No one was seriously hurt in the accident. Ouch! It really hurts. She fell and hurt her leg quite badly. They never told me why and that really hurt. Why would I want to hurt her? High interest rates are hurting the local economy. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. It hurts when I bend my knee. Many people on low incomes will be hurt by the government’s plans. My shoes hurt—they’re too tight. Stop it. You’re hurting me.Idioms
verb jump to other results
BrE BrE//hɜːt//; NAmE NAmE//hɜːrt//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they hurt BrE BrE//hɜːt//; NAmE NAmE//hɜːrt//
he / she / it hurts BrE BrE//hɜːts//; NAmE NAmE//hɜːrts//
past simple hurt BrE BrE//hɜːt//; NAmE NAmE//hɜːrt//
past participle hurt BrE BrE//hɜːt//; NAmE NAmE//hɜːrt//
-ing form hurting BrE BrE//ˈhɜːtɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhɜːrtɪŋ//
Unhappiness, Injuries, Being illto affect somebody where they will feel it most
used to say that somebody should do a particular thing It wouldn't hurt you to help with the housework occasionally.
to be kind and gentle and unwilling to cause unhappiness
Check pronunciation: hurt
