What does hurt mean?
Hurt is a common word with meanings that range from physical pain to emotional injury. As a verb, it describes causing pain, injury, or damage: a fall can hurt a person, while neglect can hurt an object or relationship. It can also mean to experience pain, as in “My back hurts,” or to cause sadness, offense, or distress, as in “Her comments hurt.” As a noun, hurt refers to physical pain, emotional distress, or the fact of being injured or damaged. As an adjective, it describes an injured person or animal, a damaged part of the body, or, metaphorically, hurt feelings or pride. The word is flexible in register and can be both plain and emphatic: someone may say “It hurts” in response to serious injury or use it conversationally about a minor inconvenience, such as a bruised knee. Its metaphorical use is especially common in discussions of feelings, relationships, and personal dignity.
To cause physical pain, injury, or damage to someone or something; to cause emotional pain or distress; or to experience physical or emotional pain.
"The sharp rock hurt her foot, and the accusation hurt her deeply."
The verb is transitive in the sense of causing injury or distress and intransitive in the sense of experiencing pain. The sense of feeling emotional hurt is especially common in informal and literary English.
Physical pain, emotional distress, injury, or damage.
"He concealed the hurt caused by the betrayal."
The noun is commonly used with expressions such as “cause hurt,” “feel hurt,” and “a sense of hurt.”
Injured, damaged, or suffering physical or emotional pain.
"The rescue team carried the hurt child to safety."
As an adjective, hurt is often used before a person, animal, body part, or metaphorical subject such as “hurt pride” or “hurt feelings.”
The plural is used when referring to multiple instances or experiences of pain, injury, or emotional distress.
"She tried to hide the hurts caused by years of neglect."
The word hurt can describe both a knife strike and a betrayal, because in both cases the key experience is damage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of hurt
The word hurt comes through Middle English from Old French hurter, meaning to strike or injure. The French word is generally traced to a Germanic root associated with striking or wounding. The English word developed both transitive meanings, such as causing injury, and intransitive meanings, such as experiencing pain; its emotional and metaphorical senses followed naturally from the physical sense.
Related word forms
How hurt is actually used
In everyday use, hurt is especially common for both physical pain and emotional distress. The verb is transitive when it means to cause pain or damage, as in “It hurt my hand,” and intransitive when it means to experience pain, as in “My shoulder hurts.” “Hurt” can also function as a participial adjective, as in “a hurt animal” or “a hurt pride.”
Easily confused with hurt
Harm is damage or injury in general, while hurt more directly refers to causing pain or injury to a person, animal, or body part.
An ache is a prolonged dull pain, whereas hurt is a verb describing the act of causing pain or injury, though it can also be a noun for such pain.