synonyms injure, hurt, harm, damage, and impair mean to cause something or someone to no longer be healthy or in good condition. injure is usually used when the body of a person or animal has been harmed by something, such as an accident. ▪ Two people were badly injured in the accident. ▪ She injured her muscle/leg while running. hurt and harm are both often used to mean the same thing as injure, but hurt often emphasizes physical or emotional pain. ▪ He hurt his back and was unable to walk for a week. ▪ I was hurt by their unkind remarks. harm often emphasizes a bad change in health. ▪ The plant is poisonous to humans but will not harm deer. damage is often used when something loses value or becomes less useful. ▪ The table was damaged in shipping. ▪ fruit trees damaged by frost ▪ Very loud music may damage your ears. impair suggests that something has been made weaker or worse. ▪ a disease that impairs memory/vision ▪ Years of smoking had impaired his health.