1
as in scratches
a bodily injury in which small blood vessels are broken but the overlying skin is not
she got quite a big bruise from walking into the corner of the table
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Recent Examples of bruises
Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 29 Apr. 2026
When picking your tomatillos, go for a medium size and look for smooth pieces with no cracks or bruises.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The handcuffs were removed, and one of the men pulled down my sleeves to cover the cuts and bruises on my arms.
—Shelly Kittleson, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
The man suffered cuts and bruises from the fall and was taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center for observation.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
In early March, a woman found bruises, scratches and a puncture wound on her 8-year-old autistic son after a day at his Christian school in Hialeah.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Images of Al-Mousawi’s body covered in bruises and lesions on his face, feet and torso filled social media feeds.
—Jane Lytvynenko, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
At least two of the children were found with bruises, court documents show.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
When the baby was rescued, her head was bandaged, and she was covered with dirt and bruises.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
There have been discussions of Trump using foundation to conceal bruises in his hands for a few months, and people discussed that in response to Rupar.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 29 Apr. 2026
When picking your tomatillos, go for a medium size and look for smooth pieces with no cracks or bruises.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The handcuffs were removed, and one of the men pulled down my sleeves to cover the cuts and bruises on my arms.
—Shelly Kittleson, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
The man suffered cuts and bruises from the fall and was taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center for observation.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
In early March, a woman found bruises, scratches and a puncture wound on her 8-year-old autistic son after a day at his Christian school in Hialeah.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Images of Al-Mousawi’s body covered in bruises and lesions on his face, feet and torso filled social media feeds.
—Jane Lytvynenko, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
At least two of the children were found with bruises, court documents show.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
When the baby was rescued, her head was bandaged, and she was covered with dirt and bruises.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bruises
Noun
-
Uncle Mo and Forte were late scratches.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Skipping this step—and dragging loose, abrasive particles under a wet cloth—could lead to scratches on your floors.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rappers have been using scrapes with violence and death as promotional material forever.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The students sustained minor scrapes and bruises in the crash, per the assistant principal.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chops, gouges, wounds it like the shadow grooves on the sidewalks—the sun is setting earlier.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Imperfect fleshly reality occupies the stage, the region where bones crack and wounds suppurate, schlumpy humans fall for each other, and jealousy roams murderously free.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her injuries included possible lower and upper extremity fractures, along with abrasions and contusions to the head, squad officials said.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
-
There, they were treated for cuts, bruises, contusions and concussions, TMZ previously reported.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Garments spanning nylon half-zips to French Terry sweatshirts, garments look faded and worn-in and feature hallmarks of denim like whiskers, creases, abrasions and breakages that tell stories of time and use.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Additional skin abrasions are noted, though the medical examiner could not determine the causes because of the severe decomposition of the body.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Heupel spreads out his receivers in an attempt to spread out the defense, then gashes them with the run.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The touch on his floaters, the variety of angles on his scoop layups, the strong shoulders that absorb bumps.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Cava , Restaurant Brands (Burger King and Tim Hortons), and Shake Shack also saw price target bumps.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At the end of each month, Amazon slashes prices on travel gear in order to clear house for the following month.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier this month, the White House released its fiscal year (FY) 2027 federal budget request, which slashes NASA's total budget by 23% and its science funding by 47%.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bruises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bruises. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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