harm Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
    injury; trauma; hurt.
  2. noun the occurrence of a change for the worse
    impairment; damage.
  3. noun the act of damaging something or someone
    damage; scathe; hurt.
  4. verb cause or do harm to
    • These pills won't harm your system

WordNet


Harm noun
Etymology
OE.harm, hearm, AS.hearm; akin to OS. harm, G. harm grief, Icel. harmr, Dan. harme, Sw. harm; cf. OSlav. & Russ. sram' shame, Skr. crama toil, fatigue.
Definitions
  1. Injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune.
  2. That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
    We, ignorant of ourselves, Beg often our own harms. Shak.
    Syn. -- Mischief; evil; loss; injury. See Mischief.
Harm transitive verb
Etymology
OE. harmen, AS. hearmian. See Harm, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Harmed ; present participle & verbal noun Harming
Definitions
  1. To hurt; to injure; to damage; to wrong.
    Though yet he never harmed me. Shak.
    No ground of enmity between us known Why he should mean me ill or seek to harm. Milton.

Webster 1913