verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
cause/inflict casualties
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The rebels have inflicted heavy casualties .
inflict a defeat on sb (= defeat someone, especially easily )
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The army inflicted a heavy defeat on the English.
inflict a punishment (on sb) (= punish someone, especially physically )
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The abbot could inflict corporal punishment for gross disobedience.
inflict a wound
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These fish can inflict serious wounds.
inflict an injury on sb formal (= make someone have an injury )
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Jenkins was accused of inflicting a head injury on one of his former colleagues.
inflict hardship on sb (= make someone be in a difficult or painful situation, used for emphasis )
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Civil war has inflicted hardship and suffering on thousands of people.
inflict harm (= cause harm, especially physical harm )
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None of us wants to inflict harm on another human being.
inflict pain
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The guards enjoyed inflicting pain on them.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
casualty
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So successful was the tactic that the return fire from the Dragoons passed over their heads without inflicting a single casualty .
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The precise reasoning behind the apparent intent to inflict fatalities and casualties among the civilian population in Britain is far from clear.
damage
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However, it is possible for other war engines and large monsters to inflict damage on them.
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The law increased the penalties for those convicted of inflicting racially motivated damage on a religious building.
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Those with a taste for battle choose their weapons and most of them look capable of inflicting real damage .
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The articles are designed to inflict damage on Labour, but I doubt that they will.
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He's in a position to inflict major damage , and he does.
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Against an immobile target, such as a wall, even the early cannon could inflict quite considerable damage .
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But Tory rebels still remain confident they can win the day and in doing so inflict irreparable damage on the treaty.
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Most horses panic, and then they can inflict terrible damage upon themselves.
defeat
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Tranmere Rovers went nap in front of their biggest gate of the season to inflict a heavy defeat on promotion chasing West Ham.
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You are going to inflict such a defeat on the enemy that he will never recover.
harm
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Stripped of his power to inflict harm on me, he seemed terribly ordinary.
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Whatever their number, with the technology available to them, they can inflict major harm .
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He was charged with unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm and with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
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Thus, the government has no compelling justification for inflicting such harm .
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Claire and Wynn were also charged with conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm on Cotter.
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Women, it would seem, should be governed by some biological instinct that prevents them from inflicting harm .
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In court Diaz admitted charges of inflicting grievous bodily harm and affray and Walker admitted affray and assault causing actual bodily harm.
injury
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Detectives are linking it with a series of recent armed robberies, and warn the men could inflict serious injury .
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The second group comprises patients who inflict serious injuries on themselves with considerable suicidal intent.
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The accused's intention had to be considered to determine whether he wished to use it to inflict injury .
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Ask your glass merchant to rub down the newly-cut edges as plate glass can inflict nasty injuries .
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He is also an inveterate hater of Mrs Joe, whom he attacks secretly, inflicting injuries from which she eventually dies.
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She wondered crazily if she should thank Matilda for inflicting the injury .
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As for Mr Hussein's chemical weapons, they could still inflict horrible injuries on the allies if they are used.
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It means inflicting an injury which would be severely punished by a court of law if it was inflicted during an argument.
pain
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And he was carrying no thunder-and-fire stick to inflict pain on them.
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The threat to inflict pain may trigger fears more damaging than the immediate sensation of pain.
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She looked into his eyes, into their endless blackness, seeking silent reassurance that he would inflict no more pain .
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You are just lying there with these people washing, dressing and at the same time inflicting pain on you.
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He had to inflict pain on people he was told were enemies.
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Bougies were inserted into the urethra, and these got bigger and bigger, inflicting great pain and considerable nausea.
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We all think it wrong to inflict pain gratuitously, but our reason for obeying this principle is not that others do.
wound
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The hollow spur is connected to a venom gland situated behind the knee, and can inflict an agonising wound .
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This spine has a serrated edge and can inflict painful wounds .
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Even if they can't inflict any wounds they can still swamp him with weight of numbers.
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Robert said that his brother had shot him without warning from about ten feet, inflicting a serious thigh wound .