damage

dam|age¹ W2S2 [ˈdæmıdʒ] n

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1¦(physical harm)¦

2¦(emotional harm)¦

3¦(bad effect)¦

4 damages

5 the damage is done

6 what's the damage?

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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: dam 'damage', from Latin damnum; DAMN⁴]

1.) ¦(PHYSICAL HARM)¦[U]

physical harm that is done to something or to a part of someone's body, so that it is broken or injured

damage to

▪ damage to property

▪ These chemicals have been found to cause serious environmental damage .

▪ The earthquake caused extensive structural damage .

▪ His eyesight may have suffered irreparable damage .

▪ The other ship sustained only minor damage .

▪ The insurance covers accidental damage to the vehicle.

▪ There may be permanent brain damage .

▪ the need to reduce flood damage

2.) ¦(EMOTIONAL HARM)¦[U]

harm caused to someone's emotions or mind

▪ The death of a parent can cause long-lasting psychological damage .

3.) ¦(BAD EFFECT)¦[U]

a bad effect on something

damage to

▪ The damage to his reputation was considerable.

▪ The closure of the factory will cause severe damage to the local economy.

damage limitation/control

▪ the attempts at political damage control during the scandal

4.) damages [plural] law

money that a court orders someone to pay to someone else as a punishment for harming them or their property

→↑compensation

▪ The court awarded him £15,000 in damages.

5.) the damage is done

used to say that something bad has happened which makes it impossible to go back to the way things were before it happened

▪ She immediately apologized, but the damage was done.

6.) what's the damage?

spoken used humorously to ask how much you have to pay for something

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

do/cause damage

serious/severe/extensive damage

irreparable/irreversible/permanent damage (=damage that cannot be repaired)

minor damage

accidental damage

brain/liver/lung etc damage

flood/storm/fire etc damage (=damage caused by a flood, storm, fire etc)

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damage ²

damage² W3S3 v [T]

1.) to cause physical harm to something or to part of someone's body

▪ insects that damage crops

badly/severely/seriously damage

▪ Smoking can severely damage your health.

▪ a shampoo for dry or damaged hair

2.) to have a bad effect on something or someone in a way that makes them weaker or less successful

▪ The changes in share values have damaged investor confidence.

▪ emotionally damaged children

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WORD CHOICE: damage, hurt, injure, wound

Damage means to cause physical harm to a thing or to a part of your body : Fires can damage crops and animals. | He damaged a knee ligament playing rugby.

You do not usually talk about damaging a person. Use hurt , injure , or wound instead : He was hurt in a climbing accident (NOT He was damaged in a climbing accident).

However, you can talk about damaging an unborn child : German measles in pregnancy can damage your baby.

Use hurt or injure to talk about people suffering physical harm as a result of an accident, earthquake, hurricane etc : No one was hurt in the car crash. | We hoped he wasn't seriously injured.

!! Do not say 'injure someone's health'. Say ' damage someone's health '.

Use wound to talk about someone being hurt by a weapon such as a gun or a knife : He shot dead three people and wounded several others. | a wounded soldier

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