damn

Pluraldamns

Formsdamns, damning, damned

1. 1
   veryadverbmildly vulgar

   Very or extremely, used to add force to an adjective or adverb.

   That exam was damn hard, and half the class ran out of time.

   You know damn well that I never touched your phone.

   UsageGoes right before an adjective or adverb: damn hard. Damn well stresses the whole statement: you know damn well.

   Similarawfully, terribly, insanely, exceedingly, extraordinarily

2. 2
   interjectionmildly vulgar

   Used as an exclamation to express anger, irritation, disappointment, annoyance, contempt, surprise, or a similar strong feeling.

   Damn, I missed the last train by two minutes.

   Oh, damn, the printer's jammed again.

   UsageOften damn it, also written dammit. Darn is a milder substitute.

   Similardammit, darn, dang, crap, drat

   Note

   One word covers everything from a missed train to real anger; the voice, not the word, tells which.

3. 3
   rude stressadjectivemildly vulgar

   Used before a noun as a general intensifier, to add emotional force.

   I've told you three times to turn off the damn TV.

   Every damn time I wash the car, it rains.

   UsageComes before a noun, often the damn + noun or every damn time.

   Similarbloody, damned, darn, dang, blasted

   Note

   What it intensifies is the speaker's temper, not any quality of the noun, which is why it can attach to almost anything: the damn door, the whole damn building.

4. 4
   least concernnounmildly vulgar

   The smallest amount of concern or value, used in negative statements such as not give a damn or not worth a damn.

   The landlord never gave a damn about the leaking pipes.

   If they gave a damn about their customers, they would answer the phone.

   UsageAlso used in questions and conditions that imply nobody cares: Who gives a damn?, if they gave a damn.

   Similarhoot, toss, fig

5. 5
   criticizeverbtransitive

   To condemn someone or something as unfit, harmful, invalid, immoral, or illegal.

   The new law was damned by civil rights groups as unconstitutional.

   Older critics damn the novel as immoral, but younger readers love it.

   UsageThe charge follows as: damned as immoral. Damn with faint praise means criticize by praising weakly.

   Similarvilify, demonize, excoriate

   Oppositepraise, commend, applaud

   Note

   The critic's verb, passing judgment on a work or a practice: Alexander Pope, writing to Henry Cromwell in 1708, tells his friend "You are not so arrant a critic as to damn them", meaning the works of modern poets, without hearing them first. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Alexander Pope wrote the quoted letter to Henry Cromwell in 1708. en.wiktionary.org
   • The letter contains the quoted wording. en.wiktionary.org
6. 6
   doomverbtransitive

   To show someone to be guilty or bad, or to ruin them or doom them to a bad fate.

   Poor schools can damn whole neighborhoods to a cycle of low wages.

   The fingerprint on the glass damned him more surely than any witness could.

   UsageThe fate follows to: damn children to a life of poverty.

   Similarcondemn, doom, incriminate

   Oppositeexonerate, vindicate, redeem

   Note

   Shakespeare shows the bare verdict in Julius Caesar, where a single mark is enough: 'with a spot I damn him'. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Shakespeare's Julius Caesar contains the quoted verdict, referring to condemnation by a mark. folger.edu
7. 7
   send to hellverbtransitive or intransitive

   In theology, to condemn someone, especially to eternal punishment after death.

   The sermon warned that greed would damn the soul as surely as murder.

   In his theology, God judges but does not damn; punishment is something people choose for themselves.

   UsageOften passive: damned for all eternity. The damned are the people condemned this way.

   Similarcondemn

   Oppositesave, redeem

   Note

   Theology keeps the full weight of the Latin source: damnāre meant 'to condemn, inflict loss upon', from damnum, 'loss', and here the loss is eternal. The milder uses, from cursing to the plain intensifier, all draw their force from this one. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • English damn ultimately comes from Latin damnāre, meaning 'to condemn, inflict loss upon', derived from damnum, meaning 'loss'. en.wiktionary.org
   • The weakened profane uses developed from the religious meaning. en.wikipedia.org
8. 8
   verbmildly vulgartransitive

   To curse someone or something, wishing harm on them, or to swear and utter curses.

   Damn these stairs; they get steeper every year.

   He damned the day he ever signed that contract.

   UsageOften a bare outburst: Damn you!, Damn these stairs! Among friends it is mild, but many keep it out of formal speech.

   Similarcurse, blast

   Oppositebless

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