1
as in aches
to feel or cause physical pain my head hurts a bad sprain that really hurts I hurt all over
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2
as in damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of don't worry that you'll hurt the new lawn by walking across it
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3
as in injures
to cause bodily damage to the common belief that reading in poor light hurts your eyes
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4
as in grieves
to feel deep sadness or mental pain I know you must be hurting from the cruel words they said
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1
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind in her hurt she said a lot of things to her boyfriend that she didn't really mean
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2
as in harms
something that causes loss or pain a totally baseless accusation that caused lasting hurt to his reputation
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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 hurts
Cheryl Russell, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026 Those who can't prebook face higher prices, which hurts their budgets, and may force readjustments in production and types of crops. —George Petras, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 That hurts the city not just on trash collection, but on every future decision that requires public buy-in. —Rafael Perez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026 Longtime ethics expert Meredith McGehee said that members have been reluctant to expel their colleagues in recent years because of the razor-thin majorities in the House, but that not doing so hurts the credibility of the institution. —Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Some hurts Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen never returned because of a lower-body injury after being knocked hard into the boards by Hartman late in the first period. —CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026 While a prolonged closure and extensive damage to oil and natural gas infrastructure in Iran and the Gulf states no doubt hurts China’s energy security and economy, these were risks Xi appears willing to accept, at least for a time. —Jeffrey Taliaferro, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2026 Sleep position isn’t something most people think about until something hurts. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026 Losing these events, or being forced to host them elsewhere, hurts the narrative the Gulf has been painstakingly trying to project as a stable region open for business. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026 Being rejected hurts, and finding success may not erase the emotional residue of all those prior rebuffs. —Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026 Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
Accountability makes everything easier, and a little friendly competition never hurts. —Cheryl Russell, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026 Those who can't prebook face higher prices, which hurts their budgets, and may force readjustments in production and types of crops. —George Petras, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 That hurts the city not just on trash collection, but on every future decision that requires public buy-in. —Rafael Perez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026 Longtime ethics expert Meredith McGehee said that members have been reluctant to expel their colleagues in recent years because of the razor-thin majorities in the House, but that not doing so hurts the credibility of the institution. —Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 Some hurts Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen never returned because of a lower-body injury after being knocked hard into the boards by Hartman late in the first period. —CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026 While a prolonged closure and extensive damage to oil and natural gas infrastructure in Iran and the Gulf states no doubt hurts China’s energy security and economy, these were risks Xi appears willing to accept, at least for a time. —Jeffrey Taliaferro, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2026 Sleep position isn’t something most people think about until something hurts. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026 Losing these events, or being forced to host them elsewhere, hurts the narrative the Gulf has been painstakingly trying to project as a stable region open for business. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Modern play calling insists on going for it on fourth downs, particularly in the opponent’s territory, because converting on fourth down helps more than failing to convert on fourth down hurts. —Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026 Being rejected hurts, and finding success may not erase the emotional residue of all those prior rebuffs. —Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026 Work On Your Personal Relationships Work on your most significant personal relationship to shore up conflict, hurts and wounds, and turn it into one that is life-giving and energizing. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurts
Verb
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In other words, resilience is not about sealing the wound and pretending it no longer aches.— Keith M. Bellizzi, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
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Long week of being sick, out of it, fatigue, body aches, not being able to move [or get] out of bed.— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For example, an extreme weather event that damages infrastructure could impact a critical supply chain node, which has a derivative impact on economic growth and credit.— Rob Fauber, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
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New research suggests that skipping the pillow could help prevent the development of glaucoma, an eye disease that damages the optic nerve and can cause vision loss or blindness.— Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This storyline later appeared in the second season of Girls, as Dunham’s character Hannah is overwhelmed with the anxiety of writing a novel and similarly injures herself.— Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
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In her desperation to ask Val for a job on the new sitcom, Sharon falls and injures herself.— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Everyone grieves differently, and the emotions can come on in waves.— Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
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Now 32, Karanja grieves the milestones and achievements her dad hasn't been able to share — her graduation from college, for example, and her budding career as a researcher.— Marc Silver, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Gibson cited increasingly severe stomach pains and diarrhea across several days as her family's symptoms.— Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
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Branch Rickey and Leo Durocher, the Dodgers’ general manager and manager, took great pains to protect Robinson, but protecting him from all of the vitriol was an impossibility.— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Many alleged egregious harms, including wrongful deaths or debilitating injuries requiring costly care.— Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026
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Without sufficient research on modern psilocybin products, consumers have little guidance on how to reduce potential harms.— Hollis Karoly, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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My boredom typically spurs feelings of frustration, guilt, shame—and long nutritionless spells of goggling, slack-jawed, at celebrity news on my phone while the world throbs around me.— Daniel Smith, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
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Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.— Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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No sadness mars the purity of its paranoia.— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026
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However, an earnestness mars most of the proceedings.— Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/hurts. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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