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What is the difference between harm and damage?

harm | damage |

Damage is a synonym of harm.



As nouns the difference between harm and damage

is that harm is injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune while damage is injury or harm; the condition or measure of something not being intact.

As verbs the difference between harm and damage

is that harm is to cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something while damage is to impair the soundness, goodness, or value of; to harm or cause destruction.

harm

English

(wikipedia harm)

Noun

(en noun)
  • Injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune.
  • * , chapter=13
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.}}
  • That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • We, ignorant of ourselves, / Beg often our own harms .

    Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "harm": bodily, physical, environmental, emotional, financial, serious, irreparable, potential, long-term, short-term, permanent, lasting, material, substantial.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.

    • Derived terms

    * do no harm * harmer * harmless * harm's way * self-harm * unharmed

    Anagrams

    * ----

    damage

    English

    (wikipedia damage)

    Noun

  • Injury or harm; the condition or measure of something not being intact.
    • The storm did a lot of damage to the area.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • Great errors and absurdities many commit for want of a friend to tell them of them, to the great damage both of their fame and fortune.
  • (slang) Cost or expense.
    • "What's the damage ?" he asked the waiter.

    Verb

    (damag)
  • To impair the soundness, goodness, or value of; to harm or cause destruction.
    • Be careful not to damage any of the fragile items while unpacking them.
  • * Clarendon
    • He came up to the English admiral and gave him a broadside, with which he killed many of his men and damaged the ship.