- Have you ever wondered if you should say “deeply hurt” or “badly hurt” when talking about feelings?
- Is it correct to say your leg is “hurting” you, or should you just say it “hurts”?
- Do you know which words describe a business being “hurt” by a bad economy?
Mastering hurt collocations is a vital step toward English fluency. Instead of relying on basic vocabulary, learning which words naturally “cluster” around “hurt” allows you to express physical pain, emotional distress, and even economic damage with the precision of a native speaker. This guide will help you stop translating from your native language and start using “hurt” instinctively in the right contexts.
Common Collocations with HURT as a Verb
As a verb, “hurt” is irregular (hurt-hurt-hurt). It can be used intransitively (it hurts) or transitively (it hurts something/someone). Here are the most frequent pairings used by native speakers today.
Physical Sensation and Intensity
These collocations describe the degree or nature of physical pain.
- Hurt like crazy: Used informally to describe intense pain. (e.g., “My tooth hurts like crazy right now.”)
- Hurt bad / Hurt badly: Common in spoken English to describe severity. (e.g., “Does your arm hurt bad?”)
- Really hurt: Adds simple emphasis. (e.g., “It really hurts when I breathe.”)
- Hurt a bit / A little: Used for minor discomfort. (e.g., “The injection will only hurt a bit.”)
Impacting Emotions and Ego
We often use “hurt” to describe damage to non-physical things like feelings or reputation.
- Hurt someone’s feelings: To upset someone. (e.g., “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings with that joke.”)
- Hurt someone’s pride: To make someone feel foolish or less confident. (e.g., “Losing the race hurt his pride more than his legs.”)
- Deeply hurt: To cause significant emotional distress. (e.g., “She was deeply hurt by his betrayal.”)
Damaging Success or Prospects
In business and professional contexts, “hurt” describes a negative impact on outcomes.
- Hurt your chances: To reduce the likelihood of success. (e.g., “Arriving late will hurt your chances of getting the job.”)
- Hurt the economy: To cause financial decline. (e.g., “Rising oil prices could hurt the economy.”)
- Hurt someone’s reputation: To damage what people think of someone. (e.g., “The scandal hurt the senator’s reputation.”)
Essential Collocations using HURT as an Adjective
In these cases, “hurt” functions as a participial adjective, often following linking verbs like “to be,” “to feel,” or “to look.”
Describing Physical Injury
- Badly hurt: Seriously injured. (e.g., “The passengers were badly hurt in the crash.”)
- Seriously hurt: Often used in news reports for grave injuries. (e.g., “No one was seriously hurt in the fire.”)
- Slightly hurt: Minimal injuries. (e.g., “He was only slightly hurt and didn’t need a doctor.”)
Describing Emotional States
- Look hurt: Showing pain on one’s face. (e.g., “You look hurt—did I say something wrong?”)
- Feel hurt: Experiencing emotional sadness. (e.g., “I feel hurt that I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”)
- Genuinely hurt: Emphasizing the sincerity of the emotion. (e.g., “He seemed genuinely hurt by the criticism.”)
The Master Summary Table
| Collocation | Part of Speech | Quick Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hurt badly | Verb / Adjective | To experience or cause severe pain/injury. |
| Hurt someone’s feelings | Verb Phrase | To make someone feel emotionally upset. |
| Deeply hurt | Adjective Phrase | To be profoundly upset or offended. |
| Hurt your chances | Verb Phrase | To make success less likely. |
| Hurt like crazy | Verb Phrase | (Informal) To be extremely painful. |
Common Mistakes: Natural vs Unnatural
| Do Not Say | Say This |
|---|---|
| I am hurted. | I am hurt. (Hurt is an irregular verb). |
| He hurted my feelings. | He hurt my feelings. |
| My hand is paining. | My hand hurts. |
| I have a big hurt in my leg. | My leg hurts badly. |
“When the company announced the layoffs, it deeply hurt the morale of the staff. Many employees felt genuinely hurt because they had worked there for years. Management realized that the lack of transparency would hurt their chances of retaining top talent, as the news had already hurt their reputation in the industry.”
Frequently Asked Questions about Hurt Collocations
Is “hurted” ever a correct word in English?
No. “Hurt” is an irregular verb. The base form, past simple, and past participle are all the same: hurt. You should say “I hurt my leg yesterday,” not “I hurted my leg.”
What is the difference between “hurt” and “injured”?
“Hurt” is a general word for pain or injury and is very common in daily speech. “Injured” is more formal and usually refers to physical damage caused by an accident or weapon. You “hurt your feelings,” but you don’t “injure your feelings.”
Can “hurt” be used as a noun?
Yes, but it is less common than the verb or adjective forms. It usually refers to emotional pain, such as “the hurt of a breakup.” In physical contexts, we usually use “pain” or “injury” as the noun instead.
Which preposition follows “hurt” when talking about parts of the body?
Usually, we don’t use a preposition directly after the verb. We say “I hurt my back.” However, if using the adjective form, you might say “I am hurt in my lower back,” though “My lower back hurts” is more natural.
Is “it hurts me” the same as “it hurts”?
“It hurts” is an intransitive use focusing on the sensation. “It hurts me” is transitive and often used metaphorically for emotional pain, though it can be used physically if something specific (like a shoe) is causing the pain.
The article mentions 'really hurt'. Is that always informal, or can it be used in more formal writing too?
Are there any contexts where 'deeply hurt' could apply to a physical injury, like a 'deeply hurt muscle' or is it strictly for emotions?
That's a thoughtful question, Kenji! While 'deeply hurt' is predominantly used for emotions, you *could* technically say 'deeply hurt' about a physical injury if you mean a severe, internal, or profound injury (e.g., 'a deeply hurt knee' might imply damage to ligaments or cartilage). However, 'severely hurt,' 'seriously hurt,' or 'badly hurt' are far more common and natural collocations for physical injuries. For clarity, it's generally best to reserve 'deeply hurt' for emotional pain.
I appreciate the focus on stopping translation from native language. This is my biggest challenge with English.
Is 'to hurt someone's feelings' a set idiom, or can you use 'to hurt someone's pride' or 'to hurt someone's dignity' as well?
Excellent inquiry, Giovanni! While 'to hurt someone's feelings' is a very common and almost idiomatic expression, you absolutely can use 'to hurt someone's pride' or 'to hurt someone's dignity.' These are perfectly natural and convey similar but slightly different emotional impacts. 'Hurt his reputation' is another common one.
This article makes me realize how many subtle differences there are even with a common word like 'hurt'. It's a journey to fluency!
Are there any specific prepositions that commonly follow 'hurt' in certain contexts, for example, 'hurt by' or 'hurt with'?
Great question, Hassan! 'Hurt by' is very common, often indicating the cause of the hurt, especially for emotional or economic damage (e.g., 'hurt by his words,' 'hurt by the recession'). 'Hurt with' is less common with 'hurt' itself in this sense, but you might say 'hurt with a knife' to indicate the instrument, though 'stabbed with' or 'injured with' are more typical. The most frequent prepositions are often linked to *how* or *why* someone or something was hurt.
Could you explain a bit more about the 'intransitive' vs 'transitive' use of hurt? I sometimes struggle with that grammar concept.
I often hear 'Does it hurt?' but sometimes 'Is it hurting?' when a doctor asks. Are both completely interchangeable, or is there a subtle difference in nuance?
Excellent observation, Ben! While often interchangeable in casual conversation, 'Does it hurt?' is a general inquiry about the presence of pain. 'Is it hurting?' specifically asks about the *ongoing* sensation of pain at that exact moment, often implying a continuous or active process. So, a doctor might use 'Is it hurting?' to check for current, persistent discomfort.
Does 'hurt' ever mean something else, like 'to damage' without pain involved? Or is it always related to pain/distress?
I always appreciate articles that help distinguish between similar-sounding phrases. 'Deeply hurt' for feelings versus 'badly hurt' for physical injury is a crucial distinction!
We agree, Omar! Precision in language, especially with nuances like these, is key to sounding more natural and fluent. We're glad you found this distinction valuable.