wound

1 of 3

noun

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
archaic or dialectal
ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wound (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Oakland man was in stable condition at a hospital, where he was being treated for a wound to the lower part of his body. Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 11 Dec. 2024 And one of two of our parents knows exactly how to crack open that wound. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
On December 10, Russia launched a ballistic missile strike on a private medical facility in the southeastern regional capital, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 20 others. Katya Soldak, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024 The Astra Telegram channel reported that the strike on the military unit where Russia's 5th Aviation Brigade was stationed had wounded dozens of soldiers and that at least one person had been killed. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near wound

Cite this Entry

“Wound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wound. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on wound

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!