General Verbs Related to Injury: English Vocabulary List

to lose blood from an injury or wound

"His wound bleeds for several minutes."

"The cut on his finger continued to bleed for several minutes before the bleeding finally stopped."

to cause physical harm or injury to someone

"The bullet wounds the soldier badly."

"The hunter's bullet wounded the deer but did not kill it immediately and the animal ran away into the forest."

to make injuries, particularly ones caused by a blow, appear on the skin and cause discoloration

"The fall bruised his knee badly."

"Her skin is so sensitive that even a light bump can bruise easily and leave a visible mark."

to cause a sudden painful stiffness or spasm in a muscle, typically occurring due to an awkward movement or prolonged position

"I crick my neck."

"He managed to crick his back while lifting a heavy box."

to inflict severe damage to someone's body so that they are unable to walk or move properly

"The accident will cripple him."

"The severe leg injury threatened to cripple the athlete for life."

to make someone or something weaker or less effective

"The illness debilitated him for weeks."

"The chronic pain has debilitated him to the point where he can no longer work or even walk without assistance."

to suddenly cause a bone to move out of its normal position

"He dislocated his shoulder during the game."

"The hard fall caused him to dislocate his shoulder and he had to go to the emergency room."

to cause serious and often permanent injury to a person, typically by disabling a part of their body

"The explosion will maim."

"The explosion was so powerful it threatened to maim anyone caught in its blast radius."

to severely damage or destroy something

"The accident mangled his hand badly."

"The car accident mangled the front of the vehicle beyond recognition and it had to be towed away."

to cause severe damage or harm

"The attacker mutilated the victim's face."

"The vandals used a knife to mutilate the valuable painting hanging in the museum gallery."

to step heavily or crush underfoot with force

"Do not trample the flower garden."

"Please do not trample the beautiful flowers in the garden because they took months to grow and bloom nicely."

to twist a body part suddenly and cause a sprain

"He wrenched his back lifting boxes."

"He managed to wrench his back while trying to lift the heavy box without using proper technique."

to forcefully smack someone on the head and make them temporarily unconscious or confused

"The blow will concuss."

"The boxer was hit hard enough to concuss him for several seconds."

to form a scab, a crust of dry blood that forms over a wound as it recovers

"The wound began to scab over."

"The deep cut on his knee began to scab over after a few days and slowly started to heal."

to leave a mark on the skin after the injured tissue has healed

"The accident scarred his face permanently."

"The terrible burn on his arm will likely scar permanently and never fully disappear."

(of a ligament) to be suddenly twisted, which results in much pain

"She sprained her ankle while running."

"The athlete was forced to leave the game after he managed to sprain his ankle while landing awkwardly from a jump."

to cause a person, animal, or part of the body to lose the ability to move or function, usually due to injury or illness

"The accident paralyzed him from the waist down."

"The rare disease threatened to paralyze his legs and confine him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life."