damn
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to say very clearly that something is bad, wrong, or a failure.
v.to condemn or criticize something or someone severely as being unfit, harmful, or a failure.
Simple“The new movie was damned by critics for its boring story.”
In context“The report effectively damned the project, citing a complete lack of oversight and several major safety violations.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice: 'to be damned by...'
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to use the word 'damn' to show you are angry at someone or something.
v.to invoke a curse upon someone or something; used as an expression of intense frustration or anger.
Simple“He damned the broken car as he stood in the rain.”
In context“Frustrated by the repeated delays, she damned the entire bureaucracy for its inefficiency.”
UsageUsually used as an exclamation or a transitive verb.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.used to show you are annoyed or to make a point stronger.
adj.used as an intensifier to express annoyance, frustration, or emphasis.
Simple“I can't find my damn keys anywhere.”
In context“He spent the whole afternoon trying to fix that damn computer before finally giving up in frustration.”
UsageAlways used before a noun.
- 04 C1 Advanced
adv.used to mean 'very' when you want to sound strong or informal.
adv.used as an intensifying adverb meaning 'extremely' or 'very'.
Simple“That was a damn good meal.”
In context“The team played a damn fine game, despite the challenging weather conditions and the loss of their captain.”
UsagePlaced before an adjective.
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.used in negative sentences to say you do not care at all about something.
n.the smallest possible amount of concern or consideration; typically used in negative constructions.
Simple“I don't give a damn what they think of my clothes.”
In context“He made it quite clear that he didn't give a damn about the social consequences of his decision.”
UsageAlmost always used with 'give' or 'worth'.
“It’s more ‘how do I survive this gym?’ because it's damn hard to keep staying alive at home.”
From Middle English dampnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnāre (“to condemn, inflict loss upon”), from damnum (“loss”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.