wound

1 of 3

noun

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
archaic or dialectal
ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wound (audio)
Synonyms of wound
1
a
: an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (such as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues
b
: a cut or breach in a plant usually due to an external agent
2
: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
3
: something resembling a wound in appearance or effect
especially : a rift in or blow to a political body or social group

wound

2 of 3

verb

ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
archaic or dialectal ˈwau̇nd
wounded; wounding; wounds

transitive verb

: to cause a wound to or in

intransitive verb

: to inflict a wound

wound

3 of 3
ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wound (audio)

past tense and past participle of wind

Synonyms of wound

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Verb

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Examples of wound in a Sentence

Noun She suffered a knife wound to her thigh. Her mother's scorn left a wound that never healed. Verb Four people were seriously wounded in the explosion. The soldier's leg was wounded by a grenade. Losing the match wounded his pride.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Protesters and volunteer medics pull the two boys out of the car and try to treat their wounds. — Sydney Brownstone, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026 August starts in the midst of Leo season, with the first transit of note on August 3 as Chiron (the asteroid of deep wounds and insecurities) shifts further back in its retrograde into the sign of Taurus. — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
The Sunday evening onslaught on Zaporizhzhia killed a 71-year-old woman and wounded 31 people, including a 16-year-old girl, as the bombs damaged 22 apartment buildings in four districts of the city, Fedorov said. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 At least 61 people were killed and 327 others wounded from July 24 to July 31 by Ukrainian drone strikes and shelling, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said on Friday. — Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wound

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English wund; akin to Old High German wunta wound

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of wound was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing wound

Rhymes for wound

See All Rhymes for wound

Browse Nearby Words

would you be so good
wound
wound chevron
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Cite this Entry

“Wound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wound. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

wound

1 of 3 noun
ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
1
: an injury involving cutting or breaking of bodily tissue (as by violence, accident, or surgery)
2
: an injury to a person's feelings

wound

2 of 3 verb
1
: to hurt by cutting or breaking bodily tissue
the broken glass wounded several people
2
: to hurt the feelings or pride of
his remark wounded her

wound

3 of 3
ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wound (audio)

past and past participle of wind

Medical Definition

wound

1 of 2 noun
ˈwünd How to pronounce wound (audio)
1
a
: a physical injury to the body consisting of a laceration or breaking of the skin or mucous membrane often with damage to underlying tissue
has a deep festering knife wound across the palm
a gunshot wound
b
: an opening made in the skin or a membrane of the body incidental to a surgical operation or procedure
infection of a surgical wound
2
: a mental or emotional hurt or blow
emotional wounds of childhood

wound

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to cause a wound to or in

More from Merriam-Webster on wound

Nglish: Translation of wound for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wound

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