INDEX:
1. to harm a person, group, country etc
2. to harm yourself by your own actions
3. harming something or someone
4. likely to harm people’s health or the environment
5. not harming anything or anyone
RELATED WORDS
do physical harm to someone : ↑ ATTACK , ↑ HURT/INJURE
see also
↑ DAMAGE
↑ DESTROY
↑ BREAK
↑ SPOIL
↑ SUFFER
◆◆◆
1. to harm a person, group, country etc
▷ harm /hɑːʳm/ [transitive verb]
to have a bad effect on something, in a way that makes it weaker, less effective, or less successful :
▪ Walking out without giving any notice will only harm your career.
▪ Any scandal will certainly harm the company’s reputation.
▪ These new export restrictions are sure to harm the economy.
▪ The most important consideration is that the environment is not harmed.
▷ damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ [transitive verb]
to permanently harm something such as the success, health, or image of a person, organization etc so that they are not as effective as before :
▪ Several recent events have damaged the government’s public image.
▪ This is likely to damage Scott’s reputation even more.
seriously/badly damage something
▪ Smoking can seriously damage your health.
▪ The company’s future prospects will be badly damaged if this deal falls through.
▷ be bad for/have a bad effect on /biː ˈbæd fɔːʳ, hæv ə ˌbæd ɪˈfekt ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to change or effect something in a harmful way :
▪ Drinking so much is bound to have a bad effect on your health.
▪ An increase in interest rates at the present time would definitely be bad for business.
▷ hit /hɪt/ [transitive verb]
to have a sudden bad effect on someone or something, harming them badly :
▪ A sudden rise in inflation always hits living standards.
be badly hit
▪ Southern England has been badly hit by flooding, and many homes are now without power.
hit something/somebody hard
▪ Elderly people were the hardest hit by the increase in tax on fuel.
▷ hurt /hɜːʳt/ [transitive verb]
to have a bad effect on an organization or activity, by making it less successful or effective :
▪ Most companies have been hurt by the economic slowdown.
▪ This is mainly going to hurt those who already have least.
▷ be/deal a blow to /biː, ˌdiːl ə ˈbləʊ tuː/ [verb phrase]
to harm the plans, chances, confidence etc of a person or organization :
▪ It would be stupid to pretend this was anything but a blow to the prime minister.
be a big/serious/severe etc blow
▪ The incident was a severe blow to UN peace efforts.
▪ Losing the match against Rumania, dealt a huge blow to the team.
▷ impair /ɪmˈpeəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to harm something such as an ability or the way a body or system works - use this especially in medical or technical contexts :
▪ If a witness is allowed to withhold evidence, it impairs the legal process.
▪ Alcohol significantly impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery.
impaired [adjective]
▪ Rubella infection can lead to impaired hearing.
▷ be detrimental to /biː ˌdetrə̇ˈmentl tuː/ [verb phrase] formal
to be likely to harm something :
▪ Working in front of a computer all day may be detrimental to your eyesight.
▪ Any further housing development will be detrimental to the character of this small town.
▷ at the expense of something /ət ði ɪkˈspens əv something/ [preposition]
if you do something at the expense of someone or something else, you do it in order to gain an advantage, even if it harms them or has a bad effect on them :
▪ Cigarette manufacturers continue to pursue profit at the expense of our children.
▪ Many people are now working a fifty or sixty hour week, at the expense of their family life.
▷ wreak havoc/play havoc /ˌriːk ˈhævək, ˌpleɪ ˈhævək/ [verb phrase]
to seriously harm something by causing a lot of harm and confusion :
▪ A major computer failure wrought havoc on the New York Subway last night.
wreak havoc/play havoc with
▪ Working so late is starting to play havoc with her social life.
2. to harm yourself by your own actions
▷ harm yourself /ˈhɑːʳm jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
only harm yourself
▪ They’ll only harm themselves if they decide to leave the association.
▪ By making the complaint the only person he harmed was himself.
▷ cut your own throat /ˌkʌt jɔːr ˌəʊn ˈθrəʊt/ [verb phrase]
to behave in a way that is certain to cause you harm, especially because of pride or anger :
▪ It would be silly to give up your job now -- you’d just be cutting your own throat.
▷ be your own worst enemy /biː jɔːr ˌəʊn wɜːʳst ˈenəmi/ [verb phrase]
to continuously behave in a stupid way that results in you being harmed :
▪ My mother was her own worst enemy. She knew she was ill but she did nothing to help herself.
▪ Many drivers are their own worst enemy -- driving too close, driving too fast, all the usual faults.
▷ shoot yourself in the foot /ˌʃuːt jɔːʳself ɪn ðə ˈfʊt/ [verb phrase]
to stupidly do something that seriously harms you, especially by saying something stupid or making plans that go badly wrong :
▪ Once again, the government has shot itself in the foot -- this time by reducing widows’ pensions.
▷ cut off your nose to spite your face /ˌkʌt ɒf jɔːʳ ˌnəʊz tə ˌspaɪt jɔːʳ ˈfeɪs/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately not do something that would make an unpleasant situation better for you, because you are too angry or proud to do it :
▪ If you love him, ask him to stay. Otherwise you’ll be cutting off your nose to spite your face.
3. harming something or someone
▷ harmful /ˈhɑːʳmf ə l/ [adjective]
▪ Pushing kids so hard from such an early age is likely to have some harmful results.
▪ Scientists tend to agree that most diets don’t work and can be harmful.
▪ The destruction of the ozone layer will have a very harmful effect on the environment.
harmful to
▪ 80% of Americans think that television is harmful to society and especially to children.
▷ damaging /ˈdæmɪdʒɪŋ/ [adjective]
harmful and usually having a permanent effect :
▪ Up to 1500 patients suffered damaging side-effects after taking the drug.
▪ The publicity that followed the scandal has been extremely damaging.
damaging to
▪ The British beef crisis was damaging to the livelihoods of thousands of people in the industry.
▷ negative /ˈnegətɪv/ [adjective]
likely to harm someone or something, especially in a way that is not too serious - use this especially about something that could also have a good effect if the situation was different :
▪ Doctors have a duty to inform patients of the possible negative side-effects of the drug.
▪ The school environment can be a negative force as well as a positive one.
▷ be bad for /biː ˈbæd fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
to have a harmful effect on something such as an activity, organization, or type of work :
▪ When companies close down, it’s bad for the town and bad for the local economy.
▪ A bad marriage is bad for the kids.
▪ Reading without good lighting is bad for your eyes.
4. likely to harm people’s health or the environment
▷ harmful /ˈhɑːʳmf ə l/ [adjective]
▪ Scientists have recommended that new technology be used to target harmful bacteria.
▪ Many of the products that we have around our homes are harmful if swallowed.
▪ The protests were aimed at ending the dumping of harmful industrial waste at sea.
harmful to
▪ The sun’s rays can be very harmful to the skin.
▷ poisonous /ˈpɔɪz ə nəs/ [adjective]
something that is poisonous contains a chemical that makes people, animals, or plants etc very ill or could kill them if they breathe it, swallow it, or touch it etc :
▪ Don’t drink that -- it’s poisonous!
▪ The adder is the only poisonous snake in Britain.
highly poisonous
▪ Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas, mostly produced by cars.
▷ hazardous /ˈhæzəʳdəs/ [adjective usually before noun]
hazardous chemicals/waste/substances etc
substances that are poisonous and will harm people, animals, or the environment if they are not dealt with or got rid of carefully :
▪ Lead is one of the most hazardous substances known, causing cancer and nerve damage.
▪ The building is now unoccupied, and all radioactive or hazardous materials have been removed.
▪ We need better regulations regarding the transportation of hazardous waste along public roads.
▷ toxic /ˈtɒksɪkǁˈtɑːk-/ [adjective]
chemicals, gases, or waste products that are poisonous and harmful to people, animals, or the environment - used especially in technical or scientific contexts :
▪ Research has found that the drug contains a toxic chemical that can cause respiratory problems.
toxic waste
from factories etc
▪ We need more installations for the disposal of toxic waste.
highly toxic
▪ highly toxic radioactive waste products
toxic to
▪ Carbon dioxide is not highly toxic to animals or humans in small amounts.
▷ noxious /ˈnɒkʃəsǁˈnɑːk-/ [adjective] formal
a noxious chemical or gas harms your health and is very unpleasant :
▪ Residents have to put up with noxious fumes from the nearby factory.
▪ Increasing tax on petrol would encourage people to drive smaller cars with fewer noxious emissions.
5. not harming anything or anyone
▷ harmless /ˈhɑːʳmləs/ [adjective]
▪ I don’t know why you’re so upset -- it was only a harmless bit of fun.
▪ Radioactive waste needs to be stored for 25,000 years before it is harmless.
harmless enough
used to say that someone or something that may seem harmful, is in fact not harmful
▪ He’s a little crazy, I know, but he’s harmless enough.
harmlessly [adverb]
▪ Fortunately the knife missed me and landed harmlessly on the floor.
▷ innocuous /ɪˈnɒkjuəsǁɪˈnɑːk-/ [adjective]
not harmful - use this especially when people have said or believe that something or someone is harmful :
▪ The producer dismissed the comment as quite innocuous.
▪ The murder suspect was an innocuous-looking man with wire-framed glasses.
seemingly/apparently innocuous
seeming harmless, but actually intended to be harmful
▪ Someone stood up and asked the professor an apparently innocuous question about his laboratory work.
▷ do no harm/not do any harm /ˌduː nəʊ ˈhɑːʳm, ˌnɒt duː eni ˈhɑːʳm/ [verb phrase]
if an action, activity, experience etc does no harm, it does not harm someone or something and may even help :
▪ Learning how to live on your own for a while will do you no harm at all.
it would do no harm to do something
▪ I expect they’ve sold all the tickets, but it won’t do any harm to ask.
▷ friendly /ˈfrendli/ [adjective]
environment-friendly/ozone-friendly etc
used especially about products in shops, meaning that they do not harm the environment etc :
▪ Look for aerosols which say ‘ozone-friendly’ on the can.
▪ Tighter laws are needed to prevent manufacturers from falsely claiming their products are environment friendly.