damn

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA: /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) To condemn to hell.

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

2. 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.

3. To condemn as unfit, harmful, of poor quality, unsuccessful, invalid, immoral or illegal.
4. (profane) To curse; put a curse upon.

   That man stole my wallet. Damn him!

5. (archaic) To invoke damnation; to curse.

   While I inwardly damn. — Goldsmith.

Related terms

damnation damned damnable dammit give a 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

• Armenian: անիծել (hy) (aniçel) 
• Bulgarian: проклинам (bg) (proklinam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: trad. 該死, simpl. 该死 (gāisǐ)

• Czech: zatratit (cs)
• Esperanto: damni (eo)
• Finnish: tuomita (fi) (kadotukseen (fi))
• German: verdammen (de)
• Ido: damnar

• Italian: dannare (it)
• Japanese: 地獄に落とす (ja) (じごくにおとす, jigoku ni otosu)
• Lithuanian: prakeikti (lt)
• Macedonian: проколнува (mk) (prokólnuva)
• Polish: przekląć (pl)
• Portuguese: amaldiçoar (pt)
• Russian: проклинать (proklinát’) impf., проклясть (prokljást’) pf.
• Spanish: maldecir (es), condenar (es)
• Swedish: förbanna (sv), fördöma (sv)

to put out of favor

• Bulgarian: осъждам (bg) (osǎždam), порицавам (bg) (poricavam)

• Finnish: tuomita (fi)

to condemn as unfit etc.

• Esperanto: damni (eo)
• Finnish: tuomita (fi)
• French: damner (fr), réprouver (fr)

• Italian: condannare (it)
• Spanish: condenar (es), reprobar (es)

to put a curse upon

• Bulgarian: кълна (bg) (kǎlna), проклинам (bg) (proklinam)
• Cantonese: 死
• Estonian: needma (et)

• Finnish: kirota (fi)
• Mandarin: 該死的 (cmn)
• Swedish: förbanna (sv)

Adjective

damn (not comparable)

1. (profane) Generic intensifier.

   Shut the damn door!

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:damned

Translations

generic intensifier

• Cantonese: 死, 鬼
• Finnish: kirottu (fi), samperin (fi), saamarin (fi), pahuksen (fi)
• French: foutu (fr)
• Hungarian: átkozott (hu)
• Japanese: 糞 (ja) (くそ, kuso)

• Lithuanian: prakeiktas (lt) m, prakeikta (lt) f
• Macedonian: проклет (mk) (próklet) m
• Polish: cholerny m
• Spanish: maldito (es), puto (es)
• Swedish: förbannad (sv), sabla (sv), djävla (sv), fördömd (sv)

Adverb

damn (not comparable)

1. (profane) awfully, extremely

   That car was going damn fast!

Translations

awfully, extremely

• Bulgarian: ужасно (bg) (užasno)
• Finnish: pahuksen (fi), samperin (fi), saamarin (fi), jumalattoman (fi)
• Hungarian: átkozottul (hu)
• Japanese: 糞 (ja) (くそ, kuso)

• Macedonian: проклето (mk) (prókleto)
• Polish: cholernie
• Swedish: förbannat (sv), djävligt (sv)

Interjection

damn

1. (profane) Used to express anger, irritation, disappointment, annoyance, contempt, etc. See also dammit.

Derived terms

• dayum (slang, emphatic form)

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:dammit

Translations

expression of contempt etc.

• Arabic: اللعنة (al-lúʻna) f
• Cantonese: 頂
• Chinese: 糟糕 (zāogāo), 該死, 该死 (gāisǐ)
• Esperanto: damne (eo)
• Finnish: pahus (fi), hitto (fi), samperi (fi), saamari (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Italian: accidenti (it), dannazione (it), cribbio (it), cavolo (it)
• Japanese: しまった! (shimatta)! 糞, くそ (kuso) (lit. shit), 畜生！ (ちくしょう！, chikushō!), チェ！ (che)!

• Korean: 망할 (ko) (mang-hal) (damn it!)
• Lithuanian: velnias (lt) m
• Macedonian: по ѓаволите (mk) (po ǵavólite), проклетство (mk) (prókletstvo)
• Polish: cholera (pl)!, do diabła (pl)!
• Russian: чёрт (ru) (čort)  (devil), чёрт побери (ru) (čort poberí) , проклятие (ru) (prokljátije) n 
• Serbo-Croatian: Kvragu (sh) (lit. to the devil)
• Spanish: maldición (es), maldita sea (es), diablos (es)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

Noun

damn (plural damns)

1. The use of "damn" as a curse.
2. (profane) A small, negligible quantity, being of little value.

   The new hires aren't worth a damn.

3. (profane) The smallest amount of concern or consideration.

   I don’t give a damn.

Translations

use of damn as a swear word

• Albanian: mallkoj (sq)
• Arabic: اللعنة (al-luʻna)
• Belarusian: праклён (be) (práklon) 
• Bulgarian: проклятие (bg) n (prokljatie)
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: sakra (cs)
• Finnish: hitto (fi)

• German: verdammt (de), (so ein) Mist!, Scheiße!
• Hindi: कोसना (hi) (kōsanā)
• Japanese: しまった (shimatta); 糞, くそ (kuso) (lit. shit), 最低の (ja) (saitei-no)
• Lithuanian: prakeikimas (lt) m
• Romanian: (profane) la naiba! (ro)
• Russian: чёрт (čort) (devil), чёрт побери (čort poberí), проклятие (ru) (prokljátije) n , чёрт возьми (ru) (čort voz'mí) 
• Spanish: maldito (es)

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: trad. 詛咒, simpl. 诅咒 (zǔzhòu)
• Italian: maledire
• Spanish maldecir, blasfemar
• Esperanto: fidiri (4)
• Ido: damnar
• Japanese: 呪う (のろう, norou)