damned; damning
ˈda-miŋ 
1
: to condemn to a punishment or fate
especially
: to condemn to hell
2
a
: to condemn vigorously and often irascibly for some real or fancied fault or defect
damned the storm for their delay
b
: to condemn as a failure by public criticism
3
: to bring ruin on
4
: to swear at : curse
—often used to express annoyance, disgust, or surprise
damn him, he should have been careful
I'll be damned
1
: the utterance of the word damn as a curse
2
: a minimum amount or degree (as of care or consideration) : the least bit
don't give a damn
damn
3 of 3adjective or adverb
: damned
a damn nuisance
ran damn fast
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
- beans
- bubkes
- bupkes
- bupkus
- continental
- darn
- durn
- diddly [slang]
- diddly-squat [slang]
- doodley-squat
- doodly-squat
- fig
- ghost
- hoot
- iota
- jot
- lick
- modicum
- rap
- squat [slang]
- syllable
- tittle
- whit
- whoop
Adjective or adverb
- absolute
- all-out
- arrant
- blank
- blooming [chiefly British]
- bodacious [Southern & Midland]
- categorical
- categoric
- clean
- complete
- consummate
- crashing
- damned
- dead
- deadly
- definite
- downright
- dreadful
- fair
- flat
- flat-out
- out-and-out
- outright
- perfect
- plumb
- profound
- pure
- rank
- regular
- sheer
- simple
- stark
- stone
- straight-out
- thorough
- thoroughgoing
- total
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- unconditional
- unmitigated
- unqualified
- utter
- very
Examples of damn in a Sentence
Verb
But it is functional talk for the purpose of conveying information, not, as often in the case of Waugh, for entertaining his audience, humdrum veracity be damned.
—
Robert Murray Davis, Commonweal, 5 June 2009
Congress demanded an immediate investigation and over the next year held dramatic hearings, launched a variety of inquests, and produced several pounds of reports that condemned FEMA. One report damned the agency as a dumping ground for political appointees …
—Christopher Cooper & Robert Block, Disaster, 2006
No American war has been more roundly damned than the Mexican. Within months after its outbreak Whigs and abolitionists accused Polk of plotting the ambush on the Rio Grande and misrepresenting the facts in order to stampede the nation into a war of conquest …
—Walter A. McDougall, Promised Land, Crusader State, 1997
He damned them for their stupidity.
damned the car for once again breaking down
Noun
I don't want to hear about your problems—I just don't give a damn.
Adjective or adverb
told her she'd never get married because she was too damn picky
that dilapidated house is a damn eyesore and should be torn down
Robert Murray Davis, Commonweal, 5 June 2009
Congress demanded an immediate investigation and over the next year held dramatic hearings, launched a variety of inquests, and produced several pounds of reports that condemned FEMA. One report damned the agency as a dumping ground for political appointees …
—Christopher Cooper & Robert Block, Disaster, 2006
No American war has been more roundly damned than the Mexican. Within months after its outbreak Whigs and abolitionists accused Polk of plotting the ambush on the Rio Grande and misrepresenting the facts in order to stampede the nation into a war of conquest …
—Walter A. McDougall, Promised Land, Crusader State, 1997
He damned them for their stupidity.
damned the car for once again breaking down
Noun
I don't want to hear about your problems—I just don't give a damn.
Adjective or adverb
told her she'd never get married because she was too damn picky
that dilapidated house is a damn eyesore and should be torn down
Recent Examples on the Web
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Dec. 2024
The lawsuit also accuses county employees of failing to take into account damning information about the accuser.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 25 Sep. 2024
But the rate at which people are ditching cable suggests that carriage fees won’t be worth a tinker’s damn by the time the looming batch of NBA deals expires.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 July 2024
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
This isn’t the pot calling the kettle black; this is the kettle jumping off the stove, walking to the blacksmith’s shed, and asking to be turned right into that damn pot.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for damn 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
William has barely finished damning everyone in his immediate vicinity when the British soldiers who’ve been chasing Jamie enter the house.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 6 Dec. 2024
The lawsuit also accuses county employees of failing to take into account damning information about the accuser.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
Shortly thereafter, Facebook changed its name to Meta and sank $45 billion into its vision of a digital universe that most people just don’t seem to give much of a damn about.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 25 Sep. 2024
But the rate at which people are ditching cable suggests that carriage fees won’t be worth a tinker’s damn by the time the looming batch of NBA deals expires.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 July 2024
Adjective or adverb
How did four musicians — barely out of their teens, from a city few had ever even heard of — cause such a damn fuss?
Tedeschi attempts to answer the question, at least partially, by linking their fates with John F. Kennedy.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
This isn’t the pot calling the kettle black; this is the kettle jumping off the stove, walking to the blacksmith’s shed, and asking to be turned right into that damn pot.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for damn
Articles Related to damn
Dictionary Entries Near damn
Cite this Entry
“Damn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/damn. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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