maim
1 of 2verb
ˈmām 
maimed; maiming; maims
transitive verb
1
: to mutilate, disfigure, or wound seriously
2
: to commit the felony of mayhem upon
maimer noun
maim
2 of 2noun
1
obsolete : serious physical injury
especially : loss of a member of the body
2
obsolete : a serious loss
Synonyms
Verb
- cripple
- disable
- incapacitate
- lame
- mutilate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The bomb killed 16 people and maimed several others. on-the-job accidents maim far too many workers every year
Recent Examples on the Web
Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Daemon is a ruthless warrior and an agent of chaos, whose idea of establishing law and order is to brutally maim (and, in one case, castrate) miscreants. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 22 Aug. 2022 No one has a right to maim or kill someone because our words offend them. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 While government ministers signed the agreement in an ornate room in Istanbul, with their countries' flags lined up together, a few hundred miles away their troops continued to kill and maim each other. Arkansas Online, 23 July 2022 While government ministers signed the agreement in an ornate room in Istanbul, with their countries’ flags lined up together, a few hundred miles away their troops continued to kill and maim each other. BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022 While government ministers signed the agreement in an ornate room in Istanbul, with their countries’ flags lined up together, a few hundred miles away their troops continued to kill and maim each other. New York Times, 22 July 2022 Cluster munitions spread submunitions — small explosives called bomblets — over a wide area, and are intended to kill or maim personnel and destroy vehicles and equipment. Mac William Bishop, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2022 Anti-personnel land mines often kill and maim civilians long after hostilities have ended. Arkansas Online, 5 June 2022 Guillermo Contreras, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Dec. 2021 Hightower planned to contact inmates in other prisons in the state to carry out a plan to either kill, maim or severely injure Tiarks, according to court documents. Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2021 See More
Verb
Of safety, as destitution fuels a crime wave even as terrorist attacks — though reduced — continue to kill and maim. Elvia Limón, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Daemon is a ruthless warrior and an agent of chaos, whose idea of establishing law and order is to brutally maim (and, in one case, castrate) miscreants. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 22 Aug. 2022 No one has a right to maim or kill someone because our words offend them. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 While government ministers signed the agreement in an ornate room in Istanbul, with their countries' flags lined up together, a few hundred miles away their troops continued to kill and maim each other. Arkansas Online, 23 July 2022 While government ministers signed the agreement in an ornate room in Istanbul, with their countries’ flags lined up together, a few hundred miles away their troops continued to kill and maim each other. BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022 While government ministers signed the agreement in an ornate room in Istanbul, with their countries’ flags lined up together, a few hundred miles away their troops continued to kill and maim each other. New York Times, 22 July 2022 Cluster munitions spread submunitions — small explosives called bomblets — over a wide area, and are intended to kill or maim personnel and destroy vehicles and equipment. Mac William Bishop, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2022 Anti-personnel land mines often kill and maim civilians long after hostilities have ended. Arkansas Online, 5 June 2022 Noun
Imad Eddin Wadi, 64, was indicted in June on a charge of conspiracy to kill, kidnap, maim or injure people and damage property in another country, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Guillermo Contreras, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Dec. 2021 Hightower planned to contact inmates in other prisons in the state to carry out a plan to either kill, maim or severely injure Tiarks, according to court documents. Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English maymen, mahaymen, from Anglo-French maheimer, mahaigner — more at mayhem
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
maim
verb
ˈmām
maimed; maiming
: to injure badly or cripple by violence
Medical Definition
maim
transitive verb
ˈmām
1
: to commit the felony of mayhem upon
2
: to wound seriously : mutilate, disable
Legal Definition
maim
transitive verb
ˈmām
: to mutilate, disfigure, or wound seriously compare mayhem
maims
verb
as in cripples
to cause severe or permanent injury to on-the-job accidents maim far too many workers every year Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cripples
- incapacitates
- injures
- mutilates
- wounds
- kills
- damages
- disables
- scars
- hurts
- bruises
- paralyzes
- lames
- dismembers
- disfigures
- hits
- mauls
- lacerates
- mangles
- harms
- hobbles
- impairs
- beats
- tortures
- murders
- licks
- bludgeons
- wings
- gores
- hamstrings
- pummels
- batters
- slaps
- smashes
- kneecaps
- smacks
- bashes
- thrashes
- pounds
- torments
- whacks
- thumps
- hammers
- whips
- thwacks
- bangs
- wallops
- swipes
- punches
- pelts
- lambastes
- flogs
- socks
- pastes
- spanks
- swats
- buffets
- belts
- boxes
- laces
- lashes
- drubs
- breaks
- pommels
- bungs up
- roughs (up)
- lambasts
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- heals
- cures
- rehabilitates
- doctors
- remedies
- restores
- repairs
- fixes
- mends
- renews
- rejuvenates
- patches