injure
B1Formal/Neutral. Less formal alternatives like 'hurt' are common in casual speech.
Definition
Meaning
To cause physical harm or damage to a living being.
To hurt or damage someone or something, including their feelings, reputation, or chances of success.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily transitive. Implies a specific incident or act causing harm. Often used in legal, medical, news, and insurance contexts. Differentiated from 'hurt' by its more formal, specific, and often serious tone.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical in meaning and frequency. Spelling conventions follow standard BrE/AmE patterns (e.g., 'injured' vs. 'injured').
Connotations
Identical. Both carry formal/serious connotations compared to 'hurt'.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties in formal contexts. 'Hurt' is more frequent in informal speech in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[S] injure [O] (e.g., The fall injured his back.)Get/Become injured (e.g., She got injured in the match.)Reflexive: [S] injure oneselfVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Add insult to injury (related concept)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in HR/insurance contexts: 'The employee was injured on the job.'
Academic
Used in medical, legal, or sociological research: 'The study examined policies to reduce the number of workers injured annually.'
Everyday
Common in news reports and serious conversations: 'Several fans were injured in the crush.'
Technical
Precise term in medicine (e.g., 'soft tissue injury'), law (e.g., 'injured party'), and engineering/safety reports.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The defender could injure his knee if he plays on that pitch.
- Libel laws exist to protect those whose reputations have been injured.
American English
- The crash injured three people, according to the police report.
- The scandal injured the candidate's chances of winning the nomination.
adverb
British English
- N/A - No standard adverb form from 'injure'. Use 'in an injurious manner' or rephrase.
American English
- N/A - No standard adverb form from 'injure'. Use 'in a harmful way' or rephrase.
adjective
British English
- The injured party sought compensation.
- The most seriously injured were airlifted to hospital.
American English
- The injured player was carried off the field.
- The company compensated the injured workers.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- He injured his arm playing football.
- Be careful not to injure yourself!
- The fire injured several people, but thankfully no one died.
- She was badly injured in the bicycle accident.
- The newspaper's false claims severely injured the politician's reputation.
- The new safety regulations aim to prevent workers from being injured on site.
- The ruling was injurious to the prospects of future litigation in this area.
- He argued that the policy would inadvertently injure the very communities it sought to help.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
IN-JUR-E: Imagine you are IN a JURY trial because someone caused you harm (to INJURE).
Conceptual Metaphor
HARM IS PHYSICAL DAMAGE (extended to reputation/feelings).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'insult' (оскорблять). 'Injure' is primarily about physical or serious harm, not verbal offense.
- The Russian verb 'травмировать' is a close equivalent for physical injury.
- The noun 'injury' (травма, повреждение) is more specific than the general 'harm' (вред).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'injure' for minor, non-serious hurts (use 'hurt' or 'scrape').
- Confusing 'injured' (adj.) with 'injurious' (harmful, causing injury).
- Incorrect: 'He injured his feelings.' (Better: 'He hurt her feelings.') 'Injure' for emotions is very formal/literary.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'injure' most appropriately?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Injure' is more formal and specific, often implying a visible, physical wound or serious damage, common in official contexts. 'Hurt' is more general, informal, and can refer to emotional or minor physical pain.
Yes, but it is literary or very formal when applied to feelings/reputation (e.g., 'injured pride'). In everyday speech, 'hurt' is preferred for emotions.
The primary noun is 'injury' (countable: 'a serious injury'; uncountable: 'risk of injury'). The related adjective 'injurious' means 'causing injury or harm'.
Yes, 'get/become injured' is a common passive construction, especially when the cause is unspecified or accidental (e.g., 'He got injured at work').