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damn

Syllabification: (damn)
Pronunciation: /dam/

Translate damn | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of damn

verb

[with object]
  • 1 (be damned) (in Christian belief) be condemned by God to suffer eternal punishment in hell:be forever damned with Lucifer
  • be doomed to misfortune or failure:the enterprise was damned
  • 2condemn, especially by the public expression of disapproval:intellectuals whom he damns as rigid doctrinaire idealists
  • curse (someone or something):she cleared her throat, damning it for its huskiness damn him for making this sound trivial

exclamation

informal
  • expressing anger, surprise, or frustration:Damn! I completely forgot!

adjective

[attributive] informal
  • used for emphasis, especially to express anger or frustration:turn that damn thing off! [as submodifier]:don’t be so damn silly!

Phrases

—— be damned

used to express rejection of someone or something previously mentioned:“Glory be damned!”

damn all

British informal nothing at all.

damn well

informal used to emphasize a statement, especially when the speaker is angry:this is your mess and you can damn well clear it up!

damn someone/something with faint praise

praise someone or something so unenthusiastically as to imply condemnation.

I'll be (or I'm) damned if

informal used to express a strong negative:I’ll be damned if I’ll call her

not be worth a damn

informal have no value or validity at all.

not give (or care)a damn

informal not care at all:people who don’t give a damn about the environment

well I'll be (or I'm) damned

informal used as an expression of surprise.

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French dam(p)ner, from Latin dam(p)nare 'inflict loss on', from damnum 'loss, damage'

damn in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of damn in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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