1
as in aches
to feel or cause physical pain
my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in injures
to cause bodily damage to
the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grieves
to feel deep sadness or mental pain
I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind
in her hurt she said a lot of things to her boyfriend that she didn't really mean
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harms
something that causes loss or pain
a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hurts
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Plus, an extra income never hurts.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026
Simply replacing property taxes with sales taxes affects low-income residents more, hurts renters and makes the tax base more volatile since revenues are directly impacted by economic cycles.
—Amanda Nothaft, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
The incident hurts recent efforts by the United States to forge democratic change in Cuba through a policy of allowing professional and cultural exchanges and diplomatic missions, Penalver said.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Cutting science spending also hurts the economy.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Losing Evans, linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Jamel Dean hurts, but the Bucs deserve the benefit of the doubt until someone else in this division proves something.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Truncating the final season so drastically definitely hurts the first half of the series finale, which feels chaotic and rushed.
—ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Losing hurts, guard Austin Reaves said after the game that night.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Modern play calling insists on going for it on fourth downs, particularly in the opponent’s territory, because converting on fourth down helps more than failing to convert on fourth down hurts.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
Holding these things in only hurts you and those around you.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Plus, an extra income never hurts.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026
Simply replacing property taxes with sales taxes affects low-income residents more, hurts renters and makes the tax base more volatile since revenues are directly impacted by economic cycles.
—Amanda Nothaft, The Conversation, 22 May 2026
The incident hurts recent efforts by the United States to forge democratic change in Cuba through a policy of allowing professional and cultural exchanges and diplomatic missions, Penalver said.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Cutting science spending also hurts the economy.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Losing Evans, linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Jamel Dean hurts, but the Bucs deserve the benefit of the doubt until someone else in this division proves something.
—Josh Kendall, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Truncating the final season so drastically definitely hurts the first half of the series finale, which feels chaotic and rushed.
—ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Losing hurts, guard Austin Reaves said after the game that night.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 May 2026
Noun
The wounds and humiliations of private life can rarely be redressed by law; literature offers a parallel tribunal in which those hurts are litigated and, if possible, imaginatively overcome.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Modern play calling insists on going for it on fourth downs, particularly in the opponent’s territory, because converting on fourth down helps more than failing to convert on fourth down hurts.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurts
Verb
-
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome causes fatigue, fever, muscle aches, abdominal problems, headaches, chills and dizziness in the early stages, and late symptoms include chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and lungs filling with fluid.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash.—
Youri Benadjaoud,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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During photosynthesis, cyanobacteria release oxygen, which quickly damages hydrogenase enzymes responsible for hydrogen production.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
27 May 2026
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If a boat comes loose and damages other property, uninsured owners may be liable.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Verb
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This storyline later appeared in the second season of Girls, as Dunham’s character Hannah is overwhelmed with the anxiety of writing a novel and similarly injures herself.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
-
In her desperation to ask Val for a job on the new sitcom, Sharon falls and injures herself.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Professor, with only her ex-partner’s cat for company, sits in her decaying apartment and grieves the loss of her relationship and her struggle with infertility.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
The film follows a woman who grieves the loss of her mother by secretly attending the funerals of strangers.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Dipke also took pains to distance the movement from comparisons to violent Gen Z uprisings in Nepal and Bangladesh, saying the CJP would maintain peaceful dissent within the bounds of the Constitution of India.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 May 2026
-
Gel foam gently contours the body to help ease aches and pains while the breathable, moisture-wicking cover helps maintain a more stable sleep temperature.—
V BRAND STORIES,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Respondents pointed to the potential harms of AI on creativity and relationships and expressed pessimism about its impact on education and jobs.—
Kevin Breuninger,Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
-
Along with the warning on the harms of screen use, the new advisory includes a toolkit that offers recommendations on how to identify harmful behaviors around screens and how to limit screen time.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
My boredom typically spurs feelings of frustration, guilt, shame—and long nutritionless spells of goggling, slack-jawed, at celebrity news on my phone while the world throbs around me.—
Daniel Smith,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
No sadness mars the purity of its paranoia.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
However, an earnestness mars most of the proceedings.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurts. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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