DAMAGES Synonyms: 149 Similar and Opposite Words

damages 1 of 2

noun

plural of damage

as in penalty

a sum of money to be paid as a punishment ordered by the court to pay $1000 in damages

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Relevance

as in reparation

payment to another for a loss or injury the company was forced to pay millions in damages to the permanently disabled worker

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damages

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of damage

as in injures

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in wounds

to cause bodily damage to his knee was badly damaged in the accident, and he walked with a limp for months

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 damages

Noun

The Family Dollar employee suffered damages, including losses in compensation and benefits, medical expenses, and anxiety and emotional distress, according to the EEOC. — Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026 The suit seeks unspecified damages for claims including legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty and racketeering. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 As of January 2026, the publishers are now looking for up to $3 billion in damages. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 30 Aug. 2026 Users suing are hoping to force Meta to pay out damages, including potentially punitive damages, to every person in the US who bought smart glasses under the allegedly false premise that Meta cared about user privacy. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 Under the measure, a social media platform could face up to $1 million in penalties per child, or three times the amount of a young person’s damages in court, whichever is larger. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Without it, the Corps calculated, Miami-Dade could be at risk of more than $54 billion in economic damages. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 The trial, which got underway in an Oakland court last week, could result in billions of dollars in damages and forced remedies that could lead to an overhaul of Facebook and Instagram. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026 O’Keefe’s appeal proved successful on Friday, when the three-judge panel agreed, with one judge dissenting in part, to discard the $130,000 damages judgment. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026

Verb

Travel could require boarding or pet-sitting expenses, while a dog that damages property or injures someone could create potential liability issues. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 And one of the toughest critiques — that service damages mental health — doesn’t hold up. — Tom Suozzi, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 Nuisance, negligence and harm to residents The largest set of claims in the lawsuit has to do with arguing that the data center damages residents’ health, futures and quality of life in the areas closest to the 400-acre hyperscale AI factory. — Ilana Arougheti updated August 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026 Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which consuming gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 The study also found that 28% of all meetings have long-lasting negative effects, and nearly half of the workforce (47%) actively damages coworker relationships by venting about their frustration after the fact. — Janine Schindler, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 So gadusol is this natural compound that some fish make, especially in their eggs, to protect themselves from that same ultraviolet light that damages our skin. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2026 The trouble begins when their tunneling becomes excessive or damages your lawn and garden. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 5 Aug. 2026 If a satellite reflects sunlight down and damages someone's observatory, that probably doesn't count as damage under the Outer Space Treaty. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for damages

Noun

After offside penalty on the Hawks on the PAT, the Warriors go for two and failed to convert on a wide receiver reverse.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Fisk and Overton use three surveys to trace how expectations of harsher penalties for failure can dampen women’s leadership ambitions.

— Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of penalty

Verb

Travel could require boarding or pet-sitting expenses, while a dog that damages property or injures someone could create potential liability issues.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
The heist goes wrong when one sister injures her back and ends up trapped on the second floor, setting off an increasingly frantic bid to get out before the homeowner comes home.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of injures

Noun

If convicted, Miller could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the cyberstalking charge and two years for making false statements, along with fines of up to $250,000.

— Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Note that penalty relief doesn’t erase the underlying taxes and only removes or reduces the extra fines and fees added to your balance.

— Jamela Adam, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fine

Noun

But Jackson argues the compensation itself is not a new development.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
The Overton window for acceptable AI use in Hollywood continues to widen as Hollywood actors, television hosts, and influencers embrace cloning with protections and compensation.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of compensation

Verb

Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of mars

Verb

Sure, the latter hurts the stats, but Daniels loved being able to close out the victory.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026
Yet YouTube has told creators cross-posting on its platform and Netflix hurts viewership on YouTube and conveys the idea that channels are deprioritizing the streaming platform as their primary distribution outlet.

— Lucas Shaw, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of hurts

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damages. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of damages

noun

verb

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