damage
♦♦ dam|age /d'æmɪdʒ/ (damages damaging damaged)
1 [VERB] V n, V n
To damage an object means to break it, spoil it physically, or stop it from working properly.
He maliciously damaged a car with a baseball bat...
The sun can damage your skin.
2 [VERB] V n
To damage something means to cause it to become less good, pleasant, or successful.
Jackson doesn't want to damage his reputation as a political personality...
= harm
● damaging [ADJ]
Is the recycling process in itself damaging to the environment?
= harmful
3 [N-UNCOUNT] oft N to n
Damage is physical harm that is caused to an object.
The blast caused extensive damage to the house...
Many professional boxers end their careers with brain damage.
4 [N-UNCOUNT] oft N to n
Damage consists of the unpleasant effects that something has on a person, situation, or type of activity.
Incidents of this type cause irreparable damage to relations with the community...
5 [N-PLURAL]
If a court of law awards damages to someone, it orders money to be paid to them by a person who has damaged their reputation or property, or who has injured them.
He was vindicated in court and damages were awarded.brain dam|age
[N-UNCOUNT]
If someone suffers brain damage, their brain is damaged by an illness or injury so that they cannot function normally.
He suffered severe brain damage after a motorbike accident.col|lat|er|al dam|age
[N-UNCOUNT]
Collateral damage is accidental injury to non-military people or damage to non-military buildings which occurs during a military operation.
To minimize collateral damage maximum precision in bombing was required.dam|age limi|ta|tion
[N-UNCOUNT]
Damage limitation is action that is taken to make the bad results of something as small as possible, when it is impossible to avoid bad results completely. (BRIT; in AM, use damage control)
The meeting was merely an exercise in damage limitation...
1 [VERB] V n, V n
To damage an object means to break it, spoil it physically, or stop it from working properly.
He maliciously damaged a car with a baseball bat...
The sun can damage your skin.
2 [VERB] V n
To damage something means to cause it to become less good, pleasant, or successful.
Jackson doesn't want to damage his reputation as a political personality...
= harm
● damaging [ADJ]
Is the recycling process in itself damaging to the environment?
= harmful
3 [N-UNCOUNT] oft N to n
Damage is physical harm that is caused to an object.
The blast caused extensive damage to the house...
Many professional boxers end their careers with brain damage.
4 [N-UNCOUNT] oft N to n
Damage consists of the unpleasant effects that something has on a person, situation, or type of activity.
Incidents of this type cause irreparable damage to relations with the community...
5 [N-PLURAL]
If a court of law awards damages to someone, it orders money to be paid to them by a person who has damaged their reputation or property, or who has injured them.
He was vindicated in court and damages were awarded.brain dam|age
[N-UNCOUNT]
If someone suffers brain damage, their brain is damaged by an illness or injury so that they cannot function normally.
He suffered severe brain damage after a motorbike accident.col|lat|er|al dam|age
[N-UNCOUNT]
Collateral damage is accidental injury to non-military people or damage to non-military buildings which occurs during a military operation.
To minimize collateral damage maximum precision in bombing was required.dam|age limi|ta|tion
[N-UNCOUNT]
Damage limitation is action that is taken to make the bad results of something as small as possible, when it is impossible to avoid bad results completely. (BRIT; in AM, use damage control)
The meeting was merely an exercise in damage limitation...