harm
noun OPAL W
/hɑːm/
/hɑːrm/
[uncountable]Idioms - damage or injury that is caused by a person or an event
- He would never frighten anyone or cause them any harm.
- The accused clearly intended to inflict harm on him.
- He may look fierce, but he means no harm.
- harm to somebody/something No definite harm to human health has been determined.
- The court case will do serious harm to my business.
- The accident could have been much worse; luckily no harm was done.
- Don't worry, we'll see that the children come to no harm.
- I can't say I like Mark very much, but I don't wish him any harm.
- Hard work never did anyone any harm.
- Look, we're just going out for a few drinks, where's the harm in that?
- The treatment they gave him did him more harm than good.
Extra Examplessee also actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, self-harm- I don't think he'll come to any harm if his mother is with him.
- I don't want any harm to come to these pictures.
- I'm sorry if I upset you—I didn't mean any harm.
- She tried to shield her child from harm.
- The children were removed from their parents to prevent harm to them.
- babies at risk of serious harm from their parents
- elderly people in danger of physical or emotional harm
- The region will suffer substantial economic harm as a result of this decision.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- considerable
- great
- serious
- …
- cause
- do
- inflict
- …
- come to somebody/something
- harm from
- harm to
- more harm than good
- out of harm’s way
Word OriginOld English hearm (noun), hearmian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to German Harm and Old Norse harmr ‘grief, sorrow’.
Idioms
it wouldn’t do somebody any harm (to do something)
- used to suggest that it would be a good idea for somebody to do something
- It wouldn't do you any harm to smarten yourself up.
no harm done
- (informal) used to tell somebody not to worry because they have caused no serious damage or injury
- Forget it, Dave, no harm done.
out of harm’s way
- in a safe place where somebody/something cannot be hurt or injured or do any damage to somebody/something
- She put the knife in a drawer, out of harm’s way.
- I prefer the children to play in the garden where they’re out of harm’s way.
there is no harm in (somebody’s) doing something | it does no harm (for somebody) to do something
- used to tell somebody that something is a good idea and will not cause any problems
- He may say no, but there's no harm in asking.
- It does no harm to ask.