1
as in penalty
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment
ordered by the court to pay $1000 in damages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in injures
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the explosion in the sewers damaged the entire city's water supply
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wounds
to cause bodily damage to
his knee was badly damaged in the accident, and he walked with a limp for months
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of damages
Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Tom Steyer The Democratic billionaire hedge fund founder who is positioning himself as the climate candidate in the race touted his drive to make oil companies pay for damages from climate change, including rising insurance rates and homes lost to wildfires.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Sorsby also maintains that his deal with Texas Tech, which is reportedly worth more than $5 million, is irrelevant from a damages standpoint.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026
In 2026, those damages would be stadium-size.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Judge admonishes Musk over social media use Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.
—Deepa Seetharaman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
OpenAI could end up owing substantial damages, including punitive damages, if a jury in California agrees that OpenAI owed a duty to report the shooter to authorities who may have acted to block the threat and protect the Canadian families.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit seeks $150 billion in damages and structural changes to the company.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages.
—Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Anton L. Delgado, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Antisemitism weakens trust, corrodes pluralism and damages the social fabric on which diverse communities depend.
—Laurence Milstein, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
The 28-year-old’s latest setback is a blow for Spurs and damages his chances of featuring at this summer’s World Cup.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Knowing what to do if a power surge damages your appliances and electronics is essential for protecting your home, preventing future issues, and reporting damages clearly and concisely to your insurance company and the local electric company.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
When a stroke or an accident damages the brain, other neurons fill in to recover patients’ everyday functions such as speaking and walking.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The water carries large amounts of ice that damages shores, infrastructure and homes.
—The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
More frequent use of marijuana also damages the brain’s working memory, which could lead to issues with safety, communications and work success, a 2025 study found.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
English ivy ruins paint jobs, encourages wood rot, and damages stucco and the mortar between bricks.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
During closing arguments, Lynn Johnson, an attorney for Christine and Christopher Nolte, suggested the jury award $10 million for noneconomic damages and $5 million for economic damages.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Tom Steyer The Democratic billionaire hedge fund founder who is positioning himself as the climate candidate in the race touted his drive to make oil companies pay for damages from climate change, including rising insurance rates and homes lost to wildfires.
—Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Sorsby also maintains that his deal with Texas Tech, which is reportedly worth more than $5 million, is irrelevant from a damages standpoint.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Apr. 2026
In 2026, those damages would be stadium-size.
—Bomani Jones, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
Judge admonishes Musk over social media use Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.
—Deepa Seetharaman, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
OpenAI could end up owing substantial damages, including punitive damages, if a jury in California agrees that OpenAI owed a duty to report the shooter to authorities who may have acted to block the threat and protect the Canadian families.
—Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026
The lawsuit seeks $150 billion in damages and structural changes to the company.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
At the same time, much of the world is facing water bankruptcy, meaning people and industries are using more fresh water than nature can replenish, leading to irrecoverable ecosystem damages.
—Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
Mercury damages the nervous system.
—Anton L. Delgado, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Antisemitism weakens trust, corrodes pluralism and damages the social fabric on which diverse communities depend.
—Laurence Milstein, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
The 28-year-old’s latest setback is a blow for Spurs and damages his chances of featuring at this summer’s World Cup.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Knowing what to do if a power surge damages your appliances and electronics is essential for protecting your home, preventing future issues, and reporting damages clearly and concisely to your insurance company and the local electric company.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
When a stroke or an accident damages the brain, other neurons fill in to recover patients’ everyday functions such as speaking and walking.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
The water carries large amounts of ice that damages shores, infrastructure and homes.
—The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
More frequent use of marijuana also damages the brain’s working memory, which could lead to issues with safety, communications and work success, a 2025 study found.
—Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
English ivy ruins paint jobs, encourages wood rot, and damages stucco and the mortar between bricks.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for damages
Noun
-
Dallas’ power play looks borderline unstoppable, and Minnesota’s penalty kill looks overwhelmed.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The penalties were imposed in September after an investigation by the sheriff’s internal affairs unit.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, reparations for the more than 65,000 victims will be paid by the Trust Fund for Victims, set up by the court’s member states to distribute the funds.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While there is a respectable moral case to be made for some form of reparations, Tubbs appears to be excessively fixated on policy ideas that would bankrupt our state if actually implemented.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This storyline later appeared in the second season of Girls, as Dunham’s character Hannah is overwhelmed with the anxiety of writing a novel and similarly injures herself.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
-
In her desperation to ask Val for a job on the new sitcom, Sharon falls and injures herself.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 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
-
Failure to enact required changes could result in big fines.—
Robert Pearlman,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Per the newspaper, committing mischief can carry a sentence of up to two years in jail, a fine or both.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rodríguez did not specify how much of the $240 corresponds to base salary — which determines pensions, severance and other labor benefits — and how much comes from discretionary bonuses that do not count toward long-term compensation.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
-
And that rate is used to then slot in the rookie compensation for draft picks, except for the compensatory selections (more on those later).—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
No sadness mars the purity of its paranoia.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
However, an earnestness mars most of the proceedings.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Yes, DiVincenzo’s absence hurts Minnesota’s prospects of making a deep playoff push.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Inflation hurts on so many levels.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/damages. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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