hurt
verb /hɜːt/
/hɜːrt/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they hurt | /hɜːt/ /hɜːrt/ |
| he / she / it hurts | /hɜːts/ /hɜːrts/ |
| past simple hurt | /hɜːt/ /hɜːrt/ |
| past participle hurt | /hɜːt/ /hɜːrt/ |
| -ing form hurting | /ˈhɜːtɪŋ/ /ˈhɜːrtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself
- hurt something He hurt his back playing squash.
- Strong light hurts my eyes.
- hurt yourself Did you hurt yourself?
- hurt (somebody) Stop it. You're hurting me.
- No one was seriously hurt in the accident.
- My back is really hurting me today.
- My shoes hurt—they're too tight.
Synonyms injureinjure- wound
- hurt
- bruise
- sprain
- pull
- strain
- 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.
- hurt to cause physical pain to somebody/yourself; to injure somebody/yourself:
- Did you hurt yourself?
- 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 bruise
- sprain to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist or knee, by suddenly twisting it, causing pain and swelling
- pull to damage a muscle, etc, by using too much force
- strain to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard:
- Don’t strain your eyes by reading in poor light.
- 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
Collocations InjuriesInjuriesBeing 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)
- 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
Wordfinder- bandage
- bleed
- bruise
- fracture
- hurt
- injury
- plaster
- sore
- swell
- wound
Extra ExamplesTopics Illnessa2- I was shaken, but not actually hurt.
- She fell and hurt her leg quite badly.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- seriously
- actually
- …
- [intransitive] to feel painful
- My feet hurt.
- My head hurts.
- Ouch! That hurt!
- it hurts when/if… It hurts when I bend my knee.
- It hurts if I move my neck.
- it hurts to do something It hurts to breathe.
Synonyms hurthurt- ache
- burn
- sting
- tingle
- itch
- throb
- 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 pain that is not severe:
- 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.
- 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.
Extra ExamplesTopics Illnessa2- My ankle still hurts quite badly.
- Ouch! It really hurts.
- I knew it was going to hurt—but not that much!
- Does it hurt a lot?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- a lot
- really
- …
- be going to
- begin to
- [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 to do something It always hurts to lose, especially in the final.
- it hurts somebody to do something It hurt me to think that he would lie to me.
Extra Examples- They never told me why and that really hurt.
- Are you deliberately trying to hurt me?
- Her remarks hurt him deeply.
- I never meant to hurt anyone.
- Why would I want to hurt her?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- deeply
- really
- …
- attempt to
- try to
- want to
- …
- [intransitive] be hurting(informal) to feel unhappy or upset
- I know you're hurting and I want to help you.
- [transitive] hurt somebody/something to have a bad effect on somebody/something
- Hard work never hurt anyone.
- Many people on low incomes will be hurt by the government's plans.
- High interest rates are hurting the local economy.
Synonyms damagedamage- hurt
- harm
- impair
- 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 children
- hurt (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.
- impair (rather formal) to damage somebody’s health, abilities or chances:
- Even one drink can impair driving performance.
- 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
- [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.
Idioms
hit somebody where it hurts
- to affect somebody where they will feel it most
it won’t/wouldn’t hurt (somebody/something) (to do something)
- used to say that somebody should do a particular thing
- It wouldn't hurt you to help with the housework occasionally.
not harm/hurt a fly
- to be kind and gentle and unwilling to cause unhappiness