MAIM Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'maim' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of maim are batter , cripple , mangle , and mutilate . While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence. // maimed by a shark

Q: When would 'batter' be a good substitute for 'maim'?

The words batter and maim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate. // an old ship battered by fierce storms

Q: In what contexts can 'cripple' take the place of 'maim'?

The words cripple and maim can be used in similar contexts, but cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg. // crippled for life in an accident

Q: When is it sensible to use 'mangle' instead of 'maim'?

In some situations, the words mangle and maim are roughly equivalent. However, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds. // a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

Q: When can 'mutilate' be used instead of 'maim'?

Although the words mutilate and maim have much in common, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function. // a tree mutilated by inept pruning

maim

verb

ˈmām

Definition of maim next

as in to incapacitate

to cause severe or permanent injury to on-the-job accidents maim far too many workers every year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb maim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of maim are batter, cripple, mangle, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When would batter be a good substitute for maim?

The words batter and maim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

In what contexts can cripple take the place of maim?

The words cripple and maim can be used in similar contexts, but cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When is it sensible to use mangle instead of maim?

In some situations, the words mangle and maim are roughly equivalent. However, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When can mutilate be used instead of maim?

Although the words mutilate and maim have much in common, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of maim The pager and subsequent walkie-talkie explosions – which together killed dozens, maimed thousands, and rattled Lebanese nerves – put paid to that scheme, for now. —

Mick Krever, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024 Thousands of children have been killed, maimed and forced to become child soldiers. —

Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025 Yet she is also maimed in a hospital bed on the other end of the country, lending all of their interactions, every memory related and fact revealed, a spectral quality, as if Kyungha is like Odysseus traveling to the underworld for knowledge. —

Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025 In late 2023, the Estonian defense ministry crunched the numbers and concluded that Ukraine would ensure Russia’s defeat in 2025 by killing or maiming 100,000 Russian troops in 2024. —

David Axe, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for maim

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maim

Verb

He was drugged before being taken back to his apartment by the defendants, who then robbed him of over $2,000 and left him lying incapacitated on his bed, according to prosecutors.

— Liam Quinn, People.com, 10 Feb. 2025
One punch by Harrison Ford's terrifying Red Hulk is enough to outright incapacitate Wilson for good.

— Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025