damn definition | Dictionary.com

damn

[dam]

–verb (used with object)

1.	to declare (something) to be bad, unfit, invalid, or illegal.

2.	to condemn as a failure: to damn a play.

3.	to bring condemnation upon; ruin.

4.	to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell.

5.	to swear at or curse, using the word “damn”: Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

–verb (used without object)

6.	to use the word “damn”; swear.

–interjection

7.	(used as an expletive to express anger, annoyance, disgust, etc.)

–noun

8.	the utterance of “damn” in swearing or for emphasis.

9.	something of negligible value: not worth a damn.

–adjective

10.	damned (defs. 2, 3).

–adverb

11.

damned.

—Idioms

12.	damn well, Informal. damned (def. 7).

13.	damn with faint praise, to praise so moderately as, in effect, to condemn: The critic damned the opera with faint praise when he termed the production adequate.

14.	give a damn, Informal. to care; be concerned; consider as important: You shouldn't give a damn about their opinions. Also, give a darn.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME dam(p)nen < OF dam(p)ner < L damnāre to condemn, deriv. of damnum damage, fine, harm

Related forms:

damner, noun

Synonyms:
2. berate, censure, denounce, disparage, blast.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To damn

damn (dām)

v. damned, damn·ing, damns

v. tr.

To pronounce an adverse judgment upon. See Synonyms at condemn.
To bring about the failure of; ruin.
To condemn as harmful, illegal, or immoral: a cleric who damned gambling and strong drink.
To condemn to everlasting punishment or a similar fate; doom.
To swear at.

v.   intr.
To swear; curse.
interj.  Used to express anger, irritation, contempt, or disappointment.
n.

The saying of "damn" as a curse.
Informal The least valuable bit; a jot: not worth a damn.

adv. & adj.
Damned.

[Middle English dampnen, from Old French dampner, from Latin damnāre, to condemn, inflict loss upon, from damnum, loss.]
damn'ing·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Damn

Damn\ (d[a^]m), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Damned (d[a^]md or d[a^]m"n[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Damning (d[a^]m"[i^]ng or d[a^]m"n[i^]ng).] [OE. damnen dampnen (with excrescent p), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]

1. To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censure.

He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him. --Shak.

2. (Theol.) To doom to punishment in the future world; to consign to perdition; to curse.

3. To condemn as bad or displeasing, by open expression, as by denuciation, hissing, hooting, etc.

You are not so arrant a critic as to damn them [the works of modern poets] . . . without hearing. --Pope.

Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer, And without sneering teach the rest to sneer. --Pope.

Note: Damn is sometimes used interjectionally, imperatively, and intensively.

Damn

Damn\, v. i. To invoke damnation; to curse. "While I inwardly damn." --Goldsmith.

Language Translation for : damn

Spanish: maldecir,

German: verdammen,

Japanese: 永遠に罰する

More Translations »

damn

c.1280, "to condemn," from O.Fr. damner, derivative of L. noun damnare, from damnum "damage, loss, hurt." Latin word evolved a legal meaning of "pronounce judgment upon." Theological sense is first recorded c.1325; the optative expletive use likely is as old. To be not worth a damn is from 1817. Damn Yankee, characteristic Southern U.S. term for "Northerner," is attested from 1812.

damn

In addition to the idioms beginning with damn, also see do one's damnedest; give a damn; not worth a dime (tinker's damn).

Search another word or see damn on Thesaurus | Reference

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us