hurt

I. hurt¹ S1 W2 /hɜːt $ hɜːrt/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle hurt)
[Word Family: noun: ↑hurt, ↑hurtfulness; adjective: ↑hurt ≠ ↑unhurt, ↑hurtful; verb: ↑hurt; adverb: ↑hurtfully]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: hurter 'to crash violently into']
1. INJURE SOMEBODY [transitive] to injure yourself or someone else:
Was anyone hurt in the accident?
Put that thing down – you might hurt someone with it.
hurt your arm/leg/nose etc
He hurt his knee playing football.
hurt yourself
Be careful you don’t fall and hurt yourself.
2. FEEL PAIN [intransitive] to feel pain in part of your body ⇨ ache:
My back hurts.
Where does it hurt?
It hurts when I try to move my leg.
hurt like hell informal (=hurt very much)
My shoulder hurts like hell.
3. CAUSE PAIN [transitive] to cause pain in a part of your body:
The sun’s hurting my eyes.
4. INSULT SOMEBODY [intransitive and transitive] to make someone feel very upset, unhappy, sad etc:
I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
it hurts (somebody) to do something
What hurts is that he never even said goodbye.
It hurt me to think that you hated me.
5. BAD EFFECT [transitive] to have a bad effect on someone or something, especially by making them less successful or powerful:
Foreign competition has hurt the company’s position in the market.
6. be hurting American English
a) informal to feel very upset or unhappy about something:
Martha’s going through a divorce and really hurting right now.
b) if a group, organization etc is hurting, they do not have something important that they need
be hurting for
The team is hurting for quarterbacks.
7. something won’t/doesn’t hurt spoken said when you think someone should do something or that something is a good idea:
The house looks pretty good, but a fresh paint job wouldn’t hurt either.
it won’t/doesn’t hurt (somebody) to do something
It won’t hurt Julia to get up early for a change.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to injure yourself or someone else
▪ hurt to damage part of your body, or someone else’s body: She slipped on the ice and hurt herself badly. | Be careful you don’t hurt anyone with that knife.
▪ injure to hurt yourself quite severely, or to be hurt in an accident or fighting: One of our players has injured his leg, and will be out of the game for weeks. | Four people have been seriously injured on the Arizona highway.
▪ wound to deliberately hurt someone using a weapon such as a knife or gun: The gunmen shot and killed twelve people and wounded three others.
▪ maim /meɪm/ [usually passive] to hurt someone very severely, especially so that they lose an arm, leg etc, often as the result of an explosion: In countries where there are landmines, people are killed and maimed daily.
▪ break to hurt a part of your body by breaking a bone in it: The X-ray showed that I had broken my wrist.
▪ bruise to hurt a part of your body when you fall on it or hit it, causing a dark mark to appear on your skin: Cathy fell off her bike and bruised her legs badly.
▪ sprain/twist to hurt your knee, wrist, shoulder etc by suddenly twisting it while you are moving: I jumped down from the wall and landed awkwardly, spraining my ankle.
▪ strain/pull to hurt one of your muscles by stretching it or using it too much: When you are lifting heavy loads, be careful not to strain a back muscle.
▪ dislocate to damage a joint in your body in a way that moves the two parts of the joint out of their normal position: Our best batsman dislocated his shoulder during training.
▪ paralyse [usually passive] to make someone lose the ability to move part or all of their body: A climbing accident had left him paralysed from the chest down.
■ when part of your body feels painful
▪ hurt if part of your body hurts, it feels painful: My chest hurts when I cough.
▪ ache to hurt with a continuous pain: I’d been walking all day and my legs were really aching.
▪ throb to feel a bad pain that comes and goes again in a regular and continuous way: Lou had a terrible headache and his whole head seemed to be throbbing.
▪ sting to feel a sharp pain, or to make someone feel this, especially in your eyes, throat, or skin: My throat stings every time I swallow. | This injection may sting a little.
▪ smart to hurt with a sudden sharp pain – used especially about your eyes, or your skin where something has hit you: Her eyes were smarting from the thick smoke. | Jackson’s face was still smarting from the punch.
▪ burn to feel very hot and painful or uncomfortable: Be careful because this chemical will make your skin burn. | His eyes were burning because of the gas.
▪ pinch if something you are wearing pinches you, it is too tight and presses painfully on your skin: The shirt was a bit too small and it was pinching my neck.
▪ something is killing me spoken informal used when something feels very painful: My legs are killing me. | These shoes are killing me.
▪ a bad back/leg/arm etc if you have a bad back/leg/arm etc, it feels painful: He’s off work with a bad back.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hurt

hurt [hurt hurts hurting] verb, adjective, noun [hɜːt] [hɜːrt]

verb (hurt, hurt)
1. transitive, intransitive ~ (sb/sth/yourself) to cause physical pain to sb/yourself; to injure sb/yourself
• He hurt his back playing squash.
• Did you hurt yourself?
• Stop it. You're hurting me.
• My back is really hurting me today.
• Strong light hurts my eyes.

• My shoes hurt— they're too tight.
2. intransitive to feel painful
• My feet hurt.
• Ouch! That hurt!

• It hurts when I bend my knee.

3. intransitive, transitive to make sb unhappy or upset
• What really hurt was that he never answered my letter.
• ~ sb/sth I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.
• I didn't want to hurt his feelings.

• it hurts (sb) to do sth It hurt me to think that he would lie to me.

4. intransitive be hurting (informal) to feel unhappy or upset

• I know you're hurting and I want to help you.

5. transitive ~ sb/sth to have a bad effect on sb/sth
• Many people on low incomes will be hurt by the government's plans.

• Hard work never hurt anyone.

6. intransitive be hurting (for sth) (NAmE) to be in a difficult situation because you need sth, especially money
• His campaign is already hurting for money.
more at not harm/hurt a fly at fly _n., hit sb where it hurts at hit _v.

Word Origin:
Middle English (originally in the senses ‘to strike’ and ‘a blow’): from Old French hurter (verb), hurt (noun), perhaps ultimately of Germanic origin.
Thesaurus:
hurt verb
1. T, I
• He hurt his back playing squash.
injure • • wound • • bruise • • sprain • • strain • • pull • • tear • • twist •
hurt/injure/strain yourself
hurt/injure/sprain/strain/pull/tear a muscle
hurt/injure/sprain/twist your ankle/foot/knee
hurt/injure/strain your back/shoulder/eyes
Hurt or injure? You can hurt or injure a part of the body in an accident. Hurt emphasizes the physical pain caused; injure emphasizes that the part of the body has been damaged in some way.
2. I
• My feet hurt.
ache • • sting • • throb • • burn • • itch •
your eyes hurt/ache/sting/burn/itch
your skin hurts/stings/burns/itches
your head hurts/aches/throbs
your stomach/tummy hurts/aches
3. T, I
• It hurt me to think that he would lie to me.
upset • • distress • • break sb's heart • |formal sadden • • pain • |written sting • |literary wound •
It hurt/upset/distressed/saddened/pained me to see/think/know…
It breaks my heart to see/think/know…
hurt/wound sb's feelings
not want/not mean to hurt/upset/distress/wound sb
Hurt or upset? Hurt is used especially to talk about sb you like or trust doing sth to make you unhappy. Being upset can be sth that sb does partly willingly:
• Don't upset yourself about it.
¤ Don't hurt yourself about it.:
• Try not to let him upset you.
¤ Try not to let him hurt you.
4. T
• Hard work never hurt anyone.
harm • • damage • • compromise • |formal impair •
hurt/harm/damage/compromise/impair sb's chances
hurt/harm/damage/compromise sb's reputation
hurt/harm/damage sb's interests/image
Hurt, damage, or harm? Hurt is less formal than damage or harm. Harm is often used to talk about the ways in which things such as animals, wildlife and the environment are affected by human activity.
Collocations:
Injuries
Being injured
have a fall/an injury
receive/suffer/sustain a serious injury/a hairline fracture/(especially BrE) whiplash/a gunshot wound
hurt/injure your ankle/back/leg
damage the brain/an ankle ligament/your liver/the optic nerve/the skin
pull/strain/tear a hamstring/ligament/muscle/tendon
sprain/twist your ankle/wrist
break a bone/your collarbone/your leg/three ribs
fracture/crack your skull
break/chip/knock out/lose a tooth
burst/perforate your eardrum
dislocate your finger/hip/jaw/shoulder
bruise/cut/graze your arm/knee/shoulder
burn/scald yourself/your tongue
bang/bump/hit/ (informal) bash your elbow/head/knee (on/against sth)
Treating injuries
treat sb for burns/a head injury/a stab wound
examine/clean/dress/bandage/treat a bullet wound
repair a damaged/torn ligament/tendon/cartilage
amputate/cut off an arm/a finger/a foot/a leg/a limb
put on/ (formal) apply/take off (especially NAmE) a Band-Aid™/(BrE) a plaster/a bandage
need/require/put in/ (especially BrE) have (out)/ (NAmE) get (out) stitches
put on/rub on/ (formal) apply cream/ointment/lotion
have/receive/undergo (BrE) physiotherapy/(NAmE) physical therapy
Synonyms:
damage
hurt • harm • impair
These words all mean to have a bad effect on sb/sth.
damage • to cause physical harm to sth, making it less attractive, useful or valuable; to have a bad effect on sb/sth's life, health, happiness or chances of success: ▪ The fire badly damaged the town hall. ◊ ▪ emotionally damaged children
hurt • (rather informal) to have a bad effect on sb/sth's life, health, happiness or chances of success: ▪ Hard work never hurt anyone.
harm • to have a bad effect on sb/sth's life, health, happiness or chances of success: ▪ Pollution can harm marine life.
damage, hurt or harm?
Hurt is slightly less formal than damage or harm, especially when it is used in negative statements: ▪ It won't hurt him to have to wait a bit. ◊ It won't damage/harm him to have to wait a bit. Harm is also often used to talk about ways in which things in the natural world such as wildlife and the environment are affected by human activity.
impair • (rather formal) to damage sb's health, abilities or chances: ▪ Even one drink can impair driving performance.
to damage/hurt/harm/impair sb's chances
to damage/hurt/harm sb's interests/reputation
to damage/harm/impair sb's health
to seriously/greatly damage/hurt/harm/impair sb/sth
to badly/severely damage/hurt/impair sb/sth
Synonyms:
hurt
ache • burn • sting • tingle • itch • throb
These are all words that can be used when part of your body feels painful.
hurt • (of part of your body) to feel painful; (of an action) to cause pain: ▪ My feet hurt. ◊ ▪ Ouch! That hurt!
ache • to feel a continuous dull pain: ▪ I'm aching all over.
burn • (of part of your body) to feel very hot and painful: ▪ Our eyes were burning from the chemicals in the air.
sting • to make sb feel a sharp burning pain or uncomfortable feeling in part of their body; (of part of your body) to feel this pain: ▪ My eyes were stinging from the smoke.
tingle • (of part of your body) to feel as if a lot of small sharp points are pushing into the skin there: ▪ The cold air made her face tingle.
itch • to have an uncomfortable feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch; to make your skin feel like this: ▪ I itch all over. ◊ ▪ Does the rash itch?
throb • (of part of your body) to feel pain as a series of regular beats: ▪ His head throbbed painfully.
your eyes hurt/ache/burn/sting/itch
your skin hurts/burns/stings/tingles/itches
your flesh hurts/burns/stings/tingles
your head hurts/aches/throbs
your stomach hurts/aches
to really hurt/ache/burn/sting/tingle/itch/throb
to hurt/ache/sting/itch badly/a lot
It hurts/stings/tingles/itches.
Synonyms:
injure
wound • hurt • bruise • sprain • pull • strain
These words all mean to harm yourself or sb else physically, especially in an accident.
injure • to harm yourself or sb else physically, especially in an accident: ▪ He injured his knee playing hockey. ◊ ▪ Three people were injured in the crash.
wound • [often passive] (rather formal) to injure part of the body, especially by making a hole in the skin using a weapon: ▪ 50 people were seriously wounded in the attack.
Wound is often used to talk about people being hurt in war or in other attacks which affect a lot of people.
hurt • to cause physical pain to sb/yourself; to injure sb/yourself: ▪ Did you hurt yourself?
injure or hurt?
You can hurt or injure a part of the body in an accident. Hurt emphasizes the physical pain caused; injure emphasizes that the part of the body has been damaged in some way.
bruise • to make a blue, brown or purple mark (= a bruise) appear on the skin after sb has fallen or been hit; to develop a bruise
sprain • to injure part of your body, especially your ankle, wrist or knee, by suddenly bending it in an awkward way, causing pain and swelling
pull • to damage a muscle, etc, by using too much force
strain • to injure yourself or part of your body by making it work too hard: ▪ Don't strain your eyes by reading in poor light.
to injure/hurt/strain yourself
to injure/hurt/sprain/pull/strain a muscle
to injure/hurt/sprain your ankle/foot/knee/wrist/hand
to injure/hurt/strain your back/shoulder/eyes
to injure/hurt your spine/neck
to be badly/severely/slightly injured/wounded/hurt/bruised/sprained
Example Bank:
• Are you deliberately trying to hurt me?
• Does it hurt a lot?
• Her remarks hurt him deeply.
• I knew it was going to hurt— but not that much!
• I never meant to hurt anyone.
• I was shaken, but not actually hurt.
• My ankle still hurts quite badly.
• No one was seriously hurt in the accident.
• Ouch! It really hurts.
• She fell and hurt her leg quite badly.
• They never told me why and that really hurt.
• Why would I want to hurt her?
• High interest rates are hurting the local economy.
• I didn't want to hurt his feelings.
• I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.
• It hurts when I bend my knee.
• Many people on low incomes will be hurt by the government's plans.
• My shoes hurt— they're too tight.
• Stop it. You're hurting me.

Idiom: it won't hurt

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

hurt

[hɜ͟ː(r)t]
♦♦
hurts, hurting, hurt
1) VERB If you hurt yourself or hurt a part of your body, you feel pain because you have injured yourself.
  [V pron-refl] Yasin had seriously hurt himself while trying to escape from the police...
  [V n] He had hurt his back in an accident.
2) VERB If a part of your body hurts, you feel pain there.
  His collar bone only hurt when he lifted his arm.
3) ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ If you are hurt, you have been injured.
  His comrades asked him if he was hurt...
  They were dazed but did not seem to be badly hurt.
4) VERB If you hurt someone, you cause them to feel pain.
  [V n] I didn't mean to hurt her, only to keep her still...
  [V n] You're hurting my arm...
  Ouch. That hurt.
5) VERB If someone hurts you, they say or do something that makes you unhappy.
  [V n] He is afraid of hurting Bessy's feelings...
  [V n] She's afraid she's going to be hurt and that she'll never fall in love again...
  What hurts most is the betrayal, the waste.
  Syn:
  upset
6) ADJ-GRADED If you are hurt, you are upset because of something that someone has said or done.
  Yes, I was hurt, jealous...
  He gave me a slightly hurt look.
  Syn:
  upset
7) VERB: only cont If you say that you are hurting, you mean that you are experiencing emotional pain.
  I am lonely and I am hurting.
8) VERB To hurt someone or something means to have a bad effect on them or prevent them from succeeding.
  [V n] The combination of hot weather and decreased water supplies is hurting many industries...
  [V n] They may fear hurting their husbands' careers.
  Syn:
  damage
9) N-VAR A feeling of hurt is a feeling that you have when you think that you have been treated badly or judged unfairly.
  ...feelings of hurt and anger, fear and despair...
  I was full of jealousy and hurt...
  There would be a hurt in her heart for a while, but in the end she would get over it.
  Syn:
  pain
10) PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to-inf If you say `It won't hurt to do something' or `It never hurts to do something', you are recommending an action which you think is helpful or useful. [INFORMAL]
  It never hurts to ask...
  It wouldn't hurt you to be a bit more serious.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹hurt /ˈhɚt/ verb hurts; hurt; hurt·ing
1 a [+ obj] : to cause pain or injury to (yourself, someone else, or a part of your body)
• Be careful with that knife or you could hurt yourself.
• Ouch! You're hurting my arm!
• I hurt my back (while) carrying a heavy box up the stairs.
• She was badly/seriously hurt in a car accident.
• My tooth/back still hurts me.
• Don't worry about the dog—he wouldn't hurt a fly. [=the dog would never bite or attack anyone; the dog is very gentle] synonyms seeinjure
b [no obj] : to be a source or cause of pain
• My tooth/back hurts (a lot/little).
• It hurts [=it is painful] to walk on hot pavement with bare feet.
• The injection didn't hurt at all. = It didn't hurt a bit.
• Ouch! That hurts!
• My arm hurts very badly. = (informally) My arm hurts like hell.
• My leg hurt. = (chiefly US) My leg was hurting.
c [no obj] : to feel physical pain
• When I woke up this morning I hurt all over.
2 a [+ obj] : to make (someone) sad or upset : to cause (someone) to suffer emotionally
• Their lack of interest in her work hurt her deeply.
• You're only hurting yourself by holding a grudge against them.
• It hurt me to see her go.
• It hurts me to say this [=I don't enjoy saying this], but I just don't think you can do the job.
• I can't tell him the meal was bad because I don't want to hurt his feelings. [=hurt him; make him sad or upset]
b [no obj] : to feel emotional pain or distress
• My sister has really been hurting [=has been very upset and unhappy] since her boyfriend left her.
3 : to do harm to (someone or something) : to affect (someone or something) in a bad or harmful way : damage

[+ obj]

• The lack of rain has hurt the corn crop.
• If we lose this game it will seriously hurt our chances of making the play-offs.
• These new regulations will hurt small businesses.
• hurt profits/sales
• There's no doubt that this scandal has hurt her image.
• Would it hurt you to cook dinner for once? = It wouldn't hurt you to cook dinner for once. [=you should cook dinner]
• As far as he's concerned, what he doesn't know can't/won't hurt him. [=he would rather not know about something; he thinks that if he does not know about something, he cannot be damaged by it, blamed for it, etc.]

[no obj]

• The company needs to cut spending, even if it hurts.
- usually used in negative statements
• I know he's qualified for the job, but it doesn't hurt [=it helps] that the company president is his mother's best friend.
• It wouldn't hurt to try a little harder. [=you should try a little harder]
• We may not finish on time, but it won't hurt to try. [=we should try]
• “Should I ask her for a job?” “It couldn't/can't hurt (to ask).” [=she may give you a job if you ask]
4 [no obj] : to have many problems : to be in a bad situation or condition
• Those poor people are hurting and need our help.
• The local economy is hurting right now. [=it is doing poorly]
hurt for [phrasal verb] US informal
1 hurt for (something) : to lack (something needed)
• Those children are hurting for attention. [=those children need to be given more attention]
• The company is hurting for money right now.
2 hurt for (someone) : to have sympathy or pity for (someone)
• I hurt for [=feel for] those poor people.