MAIM Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

maim

verb

ˈmām

Definition of maim next

as in to incapacitate

to cause severe or permanent injury to on-the-job accidents maim far too many workers every year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb maim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of maim are batter, cripple, mangle, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When would batter be a good substitute for maim?

The words batter and maim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

In what contexts can cripple take the place of maim?

The words cripple and maim can be used in similar contexts, but cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When is it sensible to use mangle instead of maim?

In some situations, the words mangle and maim are roughly equivalent. However, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When can mutilate be used instead of maim?

Although the words mutilate and maim have much in common, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maim Every Palestinian life taken, every hospital bombed, every child maimed, is asked to serve within the Zionist imagination as a symbol of the infinite Jewish pain for which there can be no salve. —

Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024 In addition the turnout of athletes would be down due to the economic depression worldwide as well as the absence of many european athletes who were killed and maimed during the war. —

Tim Genske, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 Israeli bombs were destroying houses and rocket-launch sites across southern Lebanon, in the Bekaa valley, and in Beirut; many of his friends had been killed or maimed. —

Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024 In the subsequent Israeli onslaught, more than forty-one thousand Palestinians have been killed, and about a hundred thousand more have been maimed and mutilated. —

Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for maim

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maim

Verb

There are exceptions — generally speaking, those who are mentally incapacitated may be able to travel with an escort.

Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 30 Oct. 2024
On this day in 1919: President Woodrow Wilson suffered a near-fatal stroke that left him incapacitated until the end of his presidency in 1921.

Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024