damages 1 of 2

noun

plural of damage
1
as in penalty
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment ordered by the court to pay $1000 in damages

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in reparation
payment to another for a loss or injury the company was forced to pay millions in damages to the permanently disabled worker

Synonyms & Similar Words

damages

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of damage
1
as in injures
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wounds
to cause bodily damage to his knee was badly damaged in the accident, and he walked with a limp for months

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 damages
Noun
Having presented what seemed to be a solid alibi, Archer won and was awarded £500,000 in damages. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026 Qualifying risks must involve more than $1 billion in damages or the deaths or serious injuries of over 50 people. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026 The plaintiffs requested jury trials to determine damages, according to the complaints filed in San Francisco Superior Court. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026 The complaint continued to identify No One Ever Really Dies as a source of alleged damages that could exceed $1 million. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026 If your damages are undeveloped or your allegations stay vague, the notice won’t say what actually needs fixing. — Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed in September 2025, but the federal monitors recently released their report containing key details about the incident. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 No fatalities and no structure losses or damages have been reported as of Friday morning. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 Hughes added that the county would face millions of dollars in damages and a bigger data center. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
Writing strips out the reactive tone that damages trust and forces people to engage with the actual argument instead of the way it was said. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The condition, in which reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, can cause sudden and permanent vision loss. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The bleeding increases pressure inside the skull and damages brain tissue. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026 Nor'easter damages towns at Jersey Shore New Jersey State Police emergency management officials used a drone Monday to survey the damage along the promenade. — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 This might happen if a hurricane damages a roof, and rain gets inside and soaks the entire house or several rooms, experts said. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026 Smoking cigarettes damages blood vessels throughout the body and can cause heart attacks and strokes. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2026 If a storm damages your air conditioner, insurance may apply. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026 Similar to the original movie, in which Clara’s little brother damages a nutcracker, Kelly destroys the arm of a nutcracker while playing with it. — Parents, 14 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damages
  1. penalty
  2. reparation
  3. injures
  4. wounds
  5. fine
  6. compensation
  7. mars
  8. hurts
Noun
  • The fine comes days after American Express was also hit with a $350 million penalty for similar anti-money laundering shortcomings.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Dolphins are tied for 14th in penalties (39) and 20th in penalty yards (260).
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of penalty
Noun
  • The perspective and agency of the protagonists shift, motivated by their desire for justice and reparations.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • While the British government has consistently rejected calls for financial reparations, the Crown’s referral effectively delegates the legal parsing of these historical grievances to the Privy Council in London.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of reparation
Verb
  • The agency defines an attack as an incident where a bear injures or kills a person.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2026
  • This pest injures the host plant by using its piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of injures
Verb
  • Penal Code 597 states that any person who who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal is guilty of a crime.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The kitchen wounds him, heals him, and becomes his crucible of faith.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of wounds
Noun
  • Fans rushed the field afterward, and the Vols will gladly pay the SEC fine.
    — Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The 2024 report found the city court had issued arrest warrants for more than 650 people, roughly half of Lexington’s population, for unpaid fines.
    — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fine
Noun
  • Not surprisingly, the legislation does nothing to curb the growth of compensation and other benefits for college presidents, athletics directors, coaches and staff who continue to be in charge of the athletes under their control.
    — Bruce Svare, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Poolson said the immediate goal was to secure compensation for workers and their families.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of compensation
Verb
  • Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of mars
Verb
  • Losing the ability to fly fast drones, by contrast, hurts Ukraine right now—and hands Russia an immediate advantage in the skies.
    — Steven John, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Washington is coming off a brutal tie against the Giants (a game that somehow had even worse coaching) and, yes, the overtime hurts.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of hurts

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Cite this Entry

“Damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damages. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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