damn

English

Etymology

Middle English dampnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnare (“to condemn, inflict loss upon”), from damnum (“loss”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dæm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æm
• Homophone: dam

Verb

damn (third-person singular simple present damns, present participle damning, simple past and past participle damned)

1. (theology, transitive, intransitive) To condemn to hell.

   The official position is that anyone who does this will be damned for all eternity.

   Only God can damn.

   I damn you eternally, fiend!

2. To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene i]:

     He shall not live; look, with a spot I damn him.

3. To put out of favor; to ruin; to label negatively.

   I’m afraid that if I speak out on this, I’ll be damned as a troublemaker.

4. To condemn as unfit, harmful, invalid, immoral or illegal.
   • November 8, 1708, Alexander Pope, letter to Henry Cromwell
   • You are not so arrant a critic as to damn them [the works of modern poets] […] without hearing.
5. (vulgar) To curse; put a curse upon.

   That man stole my wallet. Damn him!

6. (archaic) To invoke damnation; to curse.
   • (Can we date this quote by Goldsmith and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     […] while I inwardly damn.

Conjugation

Conjugation of damn

infinitive	(to) damn
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	damn	damned
2nd-person singular	damn, damnest*	damned, damnedst*
3rd-person singular	damns, damneth*	damned
plural	damn
subjunctive	damn
imperative	damn	—
participles	damning	damned
* Archaic or obsolete.

Related terms

• damage
• damnation
• damned
• damnable
• dammit
• give a damn
• tinker's damn

• goddammit
• God damn, goddamn
• goddamned
• damn skippy
• damn straight

• damn by association
• damn with faint praise
• damn the torpedoes
• damn your eyes
• damn your hide

Translations

theology: to condemn to hell

• Arabic: لَعَنَ‎ (laʿana)
• Armenian: անիծել (hy) (anicel)
• Belarusian: пракліна́ць impf (praklinácʹ), пракля́сці pf (prakljásci)
• Bulgarian: проклина́м (bg) impf (proklinám)
• Catalan: maleir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 咒 (zh) (zhòu), 詛咒 (zh), 诅咒 (zh) (zǔzhòu)

• Czech: zatratit pf, proklínat (cs) impf, proklít (cs) pf
• Danish: fordømme
• Dutch: verdoemen (nl)
• Esperanto: damni
• Finnish: tuomita (kadotukseen)
• French: condamner (fr), damner (fr)
• German: verdammen (de)
• Hungarian: pokolra ítél, kárhozatra ítél, kárhozatba küld
• Icelandic: fordæma
• Ido: damnar (io)

• Italian: dannare (it)
• Japanese: 地獄に落とす (じごくにおとす, jigoku ni otosu), 呪う (ja) (のろう, norou)
• Korean: 저주하다 (jeojuhada)
• Lithuanian: prakeikti
• Macedonian: проколнува impf (prokolnuva)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fordømme (no)

• Persian: لعنت کردن‎ (la'nat kardan)
• Polish: przeklinać (pl) impf, przekląć pf
• Portuguese: amaldiçoar (pt), danar (pt), condenar (pt)
• Russian: проклина́ть (ru) impf (proklinátʹ), прокля́сть (ru) pf (prokljástʹ)
• Slovak: preklínať impf, prekliať pf
• Spanish: maldecir (es), condenar (es)
• Swedish: förbanna (sv), fördöma (sv)
• Tajik: лаънат кардан (laʾnat kardan)
• Ukrainian: проклина́ти impf (proklynáty), прокля́сти pf (prokljásty)

to put out of favor; to ruin; to label negatively

• Bulgarian: осъждам (bg) (osǎždam), порицавам (bg) (poricavam)
• Finnish: tuomita (fi)

• Hungarian: bélyegez (hu), megbélyegez (hu)
• Italian: bollare (it)
• Russian: осужда́ть (ru) impf (osuždátʹ), осуди́ть (ru) pf (osudítʹ), порица́ть (ru) impf (poricátʹ)

to condemn as unfit, harmful, invalid, immoral, or illegal

• Esperanto: damni
• Finnish: tuomita (fi)
• French: damner (fr), réprouver (fr)
• German: verteufeln (de)

• Hungarian: elítél (hu), kárhoztat
• Italian: condannare (it)
• Spanish: condenar (es), reprobar (es)

to put a curse upon

• Arabic: لَعَنَ‎ (laʿana)
• Bulgarian: кълна (bg) (kǎlna), проклинам (bg) (proklinam)
• Catalan: maleir (ca)
• Estonian: needma
• Finnish: kirota (fi)
• German: verfluchen (de)

• Hungarian: átkoz (hu), elátkoz (hu), megátkoz (hu)
• Italian: maledire (it)
• Portuguese: amaldiçoar (pt)
• Spanish: maldecir (es)
• Swedish: förbanna (sv)
• Turkish: lanetlemek (tr)

Adjective

damn (not comparable)

1. (mildly vulgar) Generic intensifier. Fucking; bloody.

   Shut the damn door!

Synonyms

• see also Thesaurus:damned

Translations

generic intensifier

• Arabic: مَلْعُون‎ (malʿūn)
• Belarusian: пракля́ты (prakljáty)
• Bulgarian: проклет (bg) (proklet)
• Catalan: maleït (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 死 (yue) (sei²), 鬼 (gwai²)

  Mandarin: 該死的 (zh), 该死的 (zh) (gāisǐ de)

• Czech: zatracený, proklatý
• Dutch: verdomd (nl), vervloekt (nl), verdraaid (nl)
• Finnish: kirottu (fi), samperin, saamarin, pahuksen
• French: foutu (fr)
• German: verdammt (de), verflucht (de)
• Hungarian: átkozott (hu), nyavalyás (hu), rohadt (hu)
• Indonesian: berengsek (id), sialan (id), bedebah (id), keparat (id)
• Italian: maledetto (it) m, fottuto (it) m, cazzo (it) m
• Japanese: 糞 (ja) (くそ, kuso)

• Korean: 망할 (manghal)
• Lithuanian: prakeiktas m, prakeikta f
• Macedonian: проклет (proklet)
• Polish: cholerny (pl), przeklęty (pl)
• Portuguese: maldito (pt), merda de, porra de
• Russian: прокля́тый (ru) (prokljátyj), про́клятый (ru) (prókljatyj), чёртов (ru) (čórtov), черто́вский (ru) (čertóvskij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: проклет

  Roman: proklet (sh)

• Slovak: prekliaty
• Slovene: preklet (sl)
• Spanish: maldito (es), puto (es)
• Swedish: förbannad (sv), sabla (sv), djävla (sv), fördömd
• Turkish: kahrolasıca
• Ukrainian: про́клятий (prókljatyj)

Adverb

damn (not comparable)

1. (mildly vulgar) Very; extremely.

   That car was going damn fast!

Translations

awfully, extremely

• Bulgarian: ужасно (bg) (užasno)
• Catalan: malaïdament
• Danish: pokkers, hulens, forbandet
• Dutch: verschrikkelijk (nl), vreselijk (nl), verdomd (nl), verdraaid (nl)
• Finnish: pahuksen, samperin, saamarin, jumalattoman
• German: schrecklich (de), verdammt (de)
• Hungarian: átkozottul (hu), rohadtul, piszkosul
• Italian: maledettamente (it), dannatamente (it), fottutamente

• Japanese: 糞 (ja) (くそ, kuso)
• Macedonian: проклето (prokleto)
• Polish: cholernie (pl)
• Portuguese: pra caralho (pt)
• Russian: черто́вски (ru) (čertóvski)
• Spanish: malditamente (es)
• Swedish: förbannat (sv), djävligt (sv)

Interjection

damn

1. (mildly vulgar) Used to express anger, irritation, disappointment, annoyance, contempt or suprise, etc. See also dammit.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:dammit

Derived terms

• dang (euphemistic)
• darn (euphemistic)
• dayum (slang, emphatic form)
• dizamn (slang, emphatic form)

Translations

non-vulgar expression of contempt etc.

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: cagondena
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 死 (yue) (sei²), 弊 (bai⁶), 頂, 顶 (ding²)

  Mandarin: 糟糕 (zh) (zāogāo), 該死 (zh), 该死 (zh) (gāisǐ), 你妹 (nǐmèi)

• Danish: pokkers, sørens, hulens
• Esperanto: damne (eo)
• Finnish: pahus (fi), hitto (fi), samperi (fi), saamari (fi)
• French: mince (fr)
• Georgian: ჯანდაბა (ǯandaba)
• German: verdammt (de), Mist (de)
• Hungarian: a fenébe (hu), a francba, a fene egye meg
• Indonesian: sialan (id), kampret (id), brengsek (id)
• Italian: accidenti (it), dannazione (it), cribbio (it), cavolo (it), mannaggia (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} しまった! (shimatta!), ^{(please verify)} くそ (ja) (kuso) (lit. shit), ^{(please verify)} 畜生！ (ja) (ちくしょう！, chikushō!), ^{(please verify)} チェ！ (che!)
• Khmer: ឈឺក្បាលវិលមុខ (cʰɨɨ kbaal vɨl muk)

• Korean: 망할 (manghal)
• Lithuanian: velnias m
• Macedonian: по ѓаволите (po ǵavolite), проклетство (prokletstvo)
• Malay: hampas
• Maori: āhahā, aeha
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: لعنتی‎ (fa) (la'nati)
• Polish: cholera (pl)!, do diabła (pl)!, psiakrew (pl)!, kurde (pl) m, psiamać (pl) f, kuźwa f (expressive), do pioruna, holender (pl) m, kurna chata (pl), do licha (pl)
• Portuguese: porcaria (pt), maldição (pt), droga (pt), poça (pt), meleca (pt), lasqueira (pt), pindarolas (pt)
• Russian: чёрт (ru) (čort, literally “devil”), чёрт побери́ (ru) (čórt poberí), прокля́тие (ru) n (prokljátije), блин (ru) (blin)
• Serbo-Croatian: kvragu (literally “to the devil”)
• Spanish: maldición (es), maldita sea, diablos (es)
• Swedish: fan (sv)
• Thai: ห่าเอ้ย
• Turkish: lanet olsun
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Noun

damn (plural damns)

1. The use of "damn" as a curse.

   He said a few damns and left.

2. (mildly vulgar) A small, negligible quantity, being of little value; a whit or jot.

   The new hires aren't worth a damn.

3. (mildly vulgar) The smallest amount of concern or consideration.

   I don't give a damn.

Translations

use of damn as a swear word

• Albanian: mallkoj (sq)
• Belarusian: пра́клён (prákljon)
• Bulgarian: проклятие (bg) n (prokljatie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 糟糕 (zh) (zāogāo), 該死 (zh), 该死 (zh) (gāisǐ), 哎呀 (zh) (āiyā), 咳 (zh) (hāi)

• Czech: sakra (cs)
• Finnish: hitto (fi)
• French: merde (fr), putain (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} verdammt (de), (so ein) Mist!, ^{(please verify)} Scheiße! (de)

• Hindi: कोसना (hi) (kosnā)
• Italian: maledizione (it) f
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} しまった (shimatta), ^{(please verify)} 糞 (ja), ^{(please verify)} くそ (ja) (kuso) (lit. shit), ^{(please verify)} 最低の (saitei no)
• Lithuanian: prakeikimas m
• Portuguese: porcaria (pt) f, maldição (pt) f
• Romanian: (profane) la naiba!
• Russian: чёрт (ru) (čort, literally “devil”), чёрт побери́ (ru) (čórt poberí), прокля́тие (ru) n (prokljátije), чёрт возьми́ (ru) (čórt vozʹmí)
• Spanish: maldito (es)

a small, negligible quantity, being of little value

• Italian: accidente (it) f

• Swedish: jota (sv) n, dugg (sv) n

the smallest amount of concern or consideration

• Italian: (un) tubo (it) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: (4) ^{(please verify)} fidiri
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} damnar (io)

• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 呪う (ja) (のろう, norou)
• Spanish: maldecir, blasfemar

Anagrams

• MDNA, NMDA, mDNA, mand, nam'd