damages

IPA/dˈamɪdʒɪz/
KK[dˈæmədʒəz]IPA/dˈæmədʒəz/

damages — noun

1. money that a court orders someone to pay after another person has been hurt, tre

1.nounC1
Definition

money that a court orders someone to pay after another person has been hurt, treated unfairly, or made to lose something through that person's actions.

Example

The judge awarded damages after the landlord ignored the tenant's safety complaints.

award damages after + wrongdoing

After the bus crash, Marta received damages for her medical bills and lost wages.

receive damages for + loss

Common collocations
  • award damages
  • claim damages
  • pay damages
  • sue for damages
Synonyms
  • compensation

    broader and not limited to money ordered by a court

  • award

    often used for the official sum decided in a case

  • reparations

    more formal and often used for large-scale historical or political payment

Antonyms
  • penalty

    money paid as punishment rather than as compensation to the injured side

Grammar Patterns

award damages

pay damages to + person

sue for damages

Usage Note

Usually follows legal verbs such as award, pay, claim, or sue for. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 is the money paid, while sense 2 is the harm that led to it.

Common Mistakes

The court gave him a damage.
The court awarded him damages.
this legal noun is normally plural when it means court-ordered money.

2. the harm, loss, or bad effect that an action causes to a person, property, or a

2.nounC1
Definition

the harm, loss, or bad effect that an action causes to a person, property, or a good name.

Example

The report described damages to the bridge after the night-long fire.

damages to + property

Lawyers argued that the leak caused damages to the singer's public image.

damages to + reputation

Common collocations
  • damages to property
  • damages to reputation
  • emotional damages
  • severe damages
Synonyms
  • harm

    the most general word for bad effect or injury

  • injury

    often focuses more on physical or legal harm

  • loss

    stresses what has been taken away or reduced

Antonyms
  • protection

    keeps people or property safe instead of exposing them to harm

  • repair

    restores something after damage has been done

Grammar Patterns

damages to + property/reputation

emotional damages

describe damages

Usage Note

Often appears in legal or formal discussion of harm to property, health, or reputation. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the injury itself, not the money paid afterward.

3. the amount of money something costs or the expense involved in doing it.

3.nounC1
Definition

the amount of money something costs or the expense involved in doing it.

Example

Before ordering new curtains, Lena asked the shop what the damages would be.

what the damages would be

Tell me the damages for replacing the screen, and I'll decide today.

the damages for + thing

Common collocations
  • what the damages are
  • cover the damages
  • the damages for repairs
  • split the damages
Synonyms
  • cost

    the most neutral everyday word

  • expense

    often stresses money spent over a period or for a purpose

  • price

    more specifically the amount asked for one thing

Antonyms
  • saving

    money kept back instead of money that must be spent

Grammar Patterns

what the damages are

the damages for + thing

know the damages

Usage Note

Often appears when someone asks or talks casually about what something will cost. It sounds less neutral and less exact than price or total.

damages — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

"Damages" is the legal word for money a court orders one side to pay after harm or unfair treatment has been proved. "Compensation" is broader and can include money paid by an employer, insurer, or company even when no court is involved. "Reparations" is much more formal and is often used for large historical or political wrongs rather than one ordinary case. "Settlement" focuses on an agreement reached between sides, often before a full court judgment. Compare: "the jury awarded damages," "the airline offered compensation," "activists demanded reparations," and "both sides accepted a settlement."

damages ↗compensation ↗reparationssettlement ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • award damages
  • claim damages
  • pay damages
  • damages to property

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

"Damage" came into English from Old French "damage", which meant loss, harm, or expense. That French word is related to Latin "damnum", meaning loss, injury, or penalty. The plural form "damages" later became a fixed legal noun for money awarded after harm is shown in court. This history explains why the word can refer both to the harm itself and to the money paid because of that harm.