injury

injury — noun

1. damage done to a living body, such as a cut, break, or bruise, usually from an a

1.nounB1
Definition

damage done to a living body, such as a cut, break, or bruise, usually from an accident, violence, or sporting activity.

Example

Eli suffered a serious knee injury during the football match and had to leave the game.

suffered a [type] injury — collocation for receiving physical harm

The doctor said the injury to her ankle would take about six weeks to heal completely.

injury + to + body part — preposition pattern

Common collocations
  • suffer an injury
  • sustain an injury
  • serious injury
  • minor injury
  • head injury
  • knee injury
  • back injury
  • sports injury
  • internal injury
Synonyms
  • wound

    more specific — usually a cut or tear in the skin, often from a sharp object or attack, rather than a bruise or internal damage

  • harm

    broader — can be physical, emotional, or reputational, and is often less severe than an injury

  • damage

    wider still — applies to objects and abstract things, not just living bodies

  • hurt

    informal — more common as a verb or adjective; as a noun it usually describes minor or emotional pain

Antonyms
  • healing

    the process of becoming healthy again after an injury

  • recovery

    the return to good health following an injury

Grammar Patterns

injury + to + body part / person

Usage Note

Can be either countable (a specific wound: 'He had three injuries') or uncountable ('She was in pain from the injury'). When stating which body part is affected, use the preposition 'to', not 'on'.

Common Mistakes

I got an injury on my leg.
I got an injury to my leg.
'injury' is followed by 'to', not 'on', when specifying the location of the harm.

2. an unfair or illegal action that violates someone's legal rights, allowing them

2.nounC1
Definition

an unfair or illegal action that violates someone's legal rights, allowing them to seek compensation through the courts.

Example

The company was sued for injury to its employees' reputations after the false statement.

injury + to + reputation — legal collocation

Camila filed a personal injury claim after slipping on the wet floor at the store.

personal injury — standard legal term

Common collocations
  • personal injury
  • injury claim
  • injury lawyer
  • injury to reputation
  • injury to rights
  • injury to property
Synonyms
  • wrong

    broader — a moral or legal violation that may not be actionable in court

  • injustice

    emphasises unfairness rather than a specific legal violation

  • harm

    less formal — used in both everyday and legal contexts

  • tort

    technical legal term — a civil wrong that gives the injured party the right to sue

Antonyms
  • justice

    the fair treatment that an injured party seeks through the legal system

  • right

    a just or fair claim that is violated by a legal injury

Grammar Patterns

injury + to + rights, reputation, or property

Usage Note

This sense is primarily used in legal contexts and formal writing. In everyday conversation, 'injury' almost always refers to physical harm. The object of the preposition 'to' is typically an abstract noun such as 'rights,' 'reputation,' 'property,' or 'career.'

Common Mistakes

I suffered an injury to my feelings when she ignored me.' (too informal for this sense)
The false accusation caused an injury to his reputation.
the legal sense requires an abstract right or interest, not an emotional reaction.
Idioms

add insult to injury

idiom

to make an already difficult or unpleasant situation even worse by saying or doing something that adds extra trouble or upset.

Eli lost his job, and to add insult to injury, his car broke down the same day.

Rain ruined our picnic, and to add insult to injury, the wind blew the food away.

Word family

  • injure
    verbB1
  • injured
    adjectiveB1
  • uninjured
    adjectiveB2
  • injurious
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Wound, damage, harm, and hurt all relate to injury but differ in scope. A wound is a specific type — a cut or tear in the skin, often from a sharp object or attack. Damage is much broader, applying to objects, relationships, and bodies ('damage to a car' vs 'damage to a reputation'). Harm is a gentler word for any negative effect, physical or emotional, and works as both a noun and a verb. Hurt, as a noun, is the most informal and least precise — 'a hurt' suggests minor or emotional pain, while 'my leg hurts' is a verb describing a sensation. Use injury for formal, neutral descriptions of physical trauma; wound for visible skin damage; damage for objects or abstract things; harm for general negative effect; and hurt for everyday aches.

wound ↗damage ↗harm ↗hurt ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • risk of injury
  • cause of injury

Adverbs

  • seriously injured
  • badly injured
  • critically injured

Phrases

  • suffer an injury
  • sustain an injury

Prepositions

  • injury to
  • injury from

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'injūria' — a combination of 'in-' (not) and 'jūs' (right, law). The original meaning was an unjust or unlawful act. Over time the word shifted to also cover physical harm, which is now its most common use. The original legal sense survives in formal and court contexts.