wound

1 of 3

noun

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
archaic or dialectal
ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wound (audio)
Synonyms of woundnext
1
a
: an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (such as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues
b
: a cut or breach in a plant usually due to an external agent
2
: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
3
: something resembling a wound in appearance or effect
especially : a rift in or blow to a political body or social group

wound

2 of 3

verb

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
archaic or dialectal ˈwau̇nd
wounded; wounding; wounds

transitive verb

: to cause a wound to or in

intransitive verb

: to inflict a wound

wound

3 of 3

past tense and past participle of wind

Examples of wound in a Sentence

Noun She suffered a knife wound to her thigh. Her mother's scorn left a wound that never healed. Verb Four people were seriously wounded in the explosion. The soldier's leg was wounded by a grenade. Losing the match wounded his pride.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Officers and paramedics found Moore lying face down in a hallway with multiple gunshot wounds. Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2026 The victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment by Boston EMS after the officers applied tourniquets to their wounds, BPD said. Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Hundreds of American soldiers have been wounded and 13 killed. Bart Jansen, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026 The Afghan government said one person had been killed and more than a dozen others wounded, mostly women and children, by Pakistani shelling outside the eastern city of Asadabad. Marin Scott, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wound

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English wund; akin to Old High German wunta wound

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of wound was before the 12th century

Cite this Entry

“Wound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wound. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

wound

1 of 3 noun
1
: an injury involving cutting or breaking of bodily tissue (as by violence, accident, or surgery)
2
: an injury to a person's feelings

wound

2 of 3 verb
1
: to hurt by cutting or breaking bodily tissue
the broken glass wounded several people
2
: to hurt the feelings or pride of
his remark wounded her

wound

3 of 3

past and past participle of wind

Medical Definition

wound

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a physical injury to the body consisting of a laceration or breaking of the skin or mucous membrane often with damage to underlying tissue
has a deep festering knife wound across the palm
a gunshot wound
b
: an opening made in the skin or a membrane of the body incidental to a surgical operation or procedure
infection of a surgical wound
2
: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
emotional wounds of childhood

wound

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to cause a wound to or in

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