(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
To ~ a person or animal means to cause them physical injury, usually on purpose.
The hijackers seemed anxious not to ~ anyone.
= injure, hurt
VERB: V n
2.
Harm is physical injury to a person or an animal which is usually caused on purpose.
All dogs are capable of doing ~ to human beings.
N-UNCOUNT: oft N to n
3.
To ~ a thing, or sometimes a person, means to damage them or make them less effective or successful than they were.
...a warning that the product may ~ the environment...
= damage, ruin
VERB: V n
4.
Harm is the damage to something which is caused by a particular course of action.
To cut taxes would probably do the economy more ~ than good.
N-UNCOUNT
5.
If you say that someone or something will come to no ~ or that no ~ will come to them, you mean that they will not be hurt or damaged in any way.
There is always a lifeguard to ensure that no one comes to any ~...
PHRASE: V inflects
6.
If you say it does no ~ to do something or there is no ~ in doing something, you mean that it might be worth doing, and you will not be blamed for doing it.
They are not always willing to take on untrained workers, but there’s no ~ in asking.
PHRASE: V inflects
7.
If you say that there is no ~ done, you are telling someone not to worry about something that has happened because it has not caused any serious injury or damage.
There, now, you’re all right. No ~ done.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
8.
If someone is put in ~’s way, they are caused to be in a dangerous situation.
These men were never told how they’d been put in ~’s way...
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR
9.
If someone or something is out of ~’s way, they are in a safe place away from danger or from the possibility of being damaged.
For parents, it is an easy way of keeping their children entertained, or simply out of ~’s way...
PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v