# harm

/ˈhɑɹm/ (US) · /hˈɑːm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/harm
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. injury or damage

noun · CEFR B1

physical or emotional injury, or damage to something.

For teachers: physical, emotional, or material injury or damage. Often used uncountably in general contexts.

- The storm caused a lot of harm to the local crops.
- The legal team argued that the defendant's actions caused significant financial harm to the small business owners in the district.

Usage: Commonly used in the phrases 'do harm' or 'come to harm'.

### 2. bad effect

noun · CEFR B2

a bad result or a negative effect on a situation.

For teachers: detriment or misfortune resulting from a specific action or policy.

- There is no harm in asking for a second opinion.
- While the policy was well-intentioned, the long-term harm to the ecosystem was only discovered years later.

Usage: Often appears in the idiomatic construction 'there is no harm in doing something'.

### 3. to hurt or damage

verb · CEFR B1

to hurt someone or to damage something.

For teachers: to cause physical, emotional, or material injury to a person, animal, or object. Transitive verb requiring a direct object.

- Pollution can harm the fish living in the river.
- The report concluded that the new chemicals would not harm the environment if used according to the safety guidelines.

## Examples

- The storm caused a lot of harm to the local crops.
- Doctors take an oath to ensure their treatments do no harm to the patients they are trying to help.
- While the immediate physical effects were minor, the long-term psychological harm caused by the incident required years of dedicated therapy to overcome.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.