hurt
Use the word “hurt” for physical or mental pain.
- My tooth hurts.
- Maria feet hurt.
- Several people were hurt in the accident.
- Sit still. This is going to hurt a little.
- You’ll hurt her feelings if you criticize her cooking.
- The American economy was hurt badly by failed economic policies.
That must hurt!
a. hurt = physical pain
When some part of a person’s body is affected by pain, it hurts. When used as a verb, “hurt” is irregular: hurt / hurt / hurt.
- Ouch! That hurts!
- My stomach hurts.
- He says his arm hurts.
- Jose hurt his back while at work.
- Be careful! You might hurt yourself!
- Don’t hurt yourself.
- A toothache really hurts.
- Three people were hurt in the accident.
b. hurt = emotional pain
When the pain is emotional, use “hurt.”
- You hurt my feelings. (past tense)
- You hurt me.
- That really hurts. (present tense)
- It hurts to know that you feel that way about me.
- She really knows how to hurt someone’s feelings.
- He’s in a world of hurt after his girlfriend ended their relationship. (This sentence use “hurt” as a noun.)
- His words hurt a lot of people.
- She was hurt by the news of her friend’s death.
- HIs feelings are easily hurt.
c. hurt = financial or reputational pain
When a loss of money or financial difficulty is involved, the word “hurt” is a good choice.
- It hurts to lose all of that money.
- This hurt us financially.
- The President’s policies are hurting Americans in their pocketbook. (pocketbook = any place where money is kept)
- That really hurt.
- This is going to hurt their reputation.
- Hurt by allegations of fraud and abuse, the company never recovered and went out of business.
- It hurts to lose money in an investment.
- Recent loses in some stocks that he owns really hurt him financially.
d. Use "hurt" or "hurtful" as adjectives.
- Why does he say such hurtful things about people.
- She has hurt feelings.
- She feels hurt. (The verb “feel” in this sentence is a linking verb, similar to the verb “be.”)
- If your feelings are hurt, I’m sorry.
- Decisions made by the city were hurtful to the community.
- The bird has a hurt wing.
- A friend said something to her that was very mean and hurtful. What should she do about it?
- She feels very hurt.
Published on June 14, 2025