Vastny Languages editorial team
Hurt, injure, wound, and damage: what's the difference?
Hurt can mean cause pain, including emotional pain. Injure usually concerns physical injury. Wound often means injure someone by breaking the skin, especially with a weapon; it can also refer to hurt feelings. Damage is especially common for objects, systems or reputations.
Hurt can mean cause pain, including emotional pain. Injure usually concerns physical injury. Wound often means injure someone by breaking the skin, especially with a weapon; it can also refer to hurt feelings. Damage is especially common for objects, systems or reputations.
Which word fits here?
Use hurt for causing physical pain or injury, or emotional pain: hurt your knee or hurt someone's feelings.
Use injure for causing physical injury to a person or animal, often in more formal reporting.
Use wound for causing a wound, such as an injury from a weapon; it can also describe hurt feelings figuratively.
Use damage for harming the condition or function of an object, system or reputation.
How to choose a word
Use hurt for causing physical pain or injury, or emotional pain: hurt your knee or hurt someone's feelings.
Use injure for causing physical injury to a person or animal, often in more formal reporting.
Use wound for causing a wound, such as an injury from a weapon; it can also describe hurt feelings figuratively.
Use damage for harming the condition or function of an object, system or reputation.
Word by word
hurt
Use hurt for causing physical pain or injury, or emotional pain: hurt your knee or hurt someone's feelings.
Did you hurt your back at the gym?
What you said really hurt her feelings.
injure
Use injure for causing physical injury to a person or animal, often in more formal reporting.
She injured her ankle during the match.
Three people were injured in the crash.
wound
Use wound for causing a wound, such as an injury from a weapon; it can also describe hurt feelings figuratively.
The soldier was wounded in the attack.
The attacker wounded him with a knife.
damage
Use damage for harming the condition or function of an object, system or reputation.
The storm damaged the roof.
Smoking can damage your lungs.
