wound

1 of 3

noun

ˈwünd 

archaic or dialectal

ˈwau̇nd 

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 

 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

ˈwau̇nd 

past tense and past participle of wind

Synonyms

Verb

• damage
• harm
• hurt
• injure

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

Noun

In a June 1929 strip, Popeye survives 16 bullet wounds by petting Bernice, who saves his life and sculpts his magic muscles. —Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024

Police detained two people, an underage girl and the adult man with the stab wound, in connection with the shooting. —Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Dec. 2024

Verb

Despite staggering Russian losses — with more than 1,500 killed and wounded every day in recent weeks, according to Western estimates — the scope of attacks continues to grow, according to soldiers at the front and military analysts. —Marc Santora, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024

The White House said last week that more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded fighting Ukrainian troops in Kursk, with a few choosing suicide over surrender. —Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 31 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing wound

• flesh wound
• rub salt in/into the wound
• twist/turn the knife (in the wound)

Kids Definition

wound

1 of 3 noun

ˈwünd 

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

ˈwau̇nd 

past and past participle of wind

Medical Definition

wound

1 of 2 noun

ˈwünd 

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