/ bruːz; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to develop a bruise , or make a bruise or bruises appear on the skin of sb/sth :
[ v ]
Strawberries bruise easily.
[ vn ]
She had slipped and badly bruised her face.
➡ note at injure
2.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to affect sb badly and make them feel unhappy and less confident :
They had been badly bruised by the defeat.
► bruised adjective :
He suffered badly bruised ribs in the crash.
bruised fruit
a bruised ego
► bruis·ing noun [ U ]:
She suffered severe bruising, but no bones were broken.
internal bruising
—see also bruising adjective
■ noun
1.
a blue, brown or purple mark that appears on the skin after sb has fallen, been hit, etc. :
to be covered in bruises
cuts and bruises
➡ note at injure
2.
a mark on a fruit or vegetable where it is damaged
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English brӯsan crush or injure with a blow , reinforced in Middle English by Old French bruisier break.