damn — ODE · Shobdo

damn /dam

▸ verb [with object]

1 (be damned) (in Christian and Islamic belief) be condemned by God to suffer eternal punishment in hell:

be forever damned with Lucifer.

▪ be doomed to misfortune or failure:

the enterprise was damned.

2 criticize strongly:

the book damns her husband.

▪ curse (someone or something):

she cleared her throat, damning it for its huskiness

damn him for making this sound trivial.

▸ exclamation informal expressing anger or frustration:

Damn! I completely forgot!.

▸ adjective informal used to emphasize or express anger or frustration with someone or something:

turn that damn thing off!.

▸ adverb informal used for emphasis or to express anger or frustration:

don't be so damn silly!.

– PHRASES

— be damned used to express defiance or rejection of someone or something previously mentioned:

glory be damned!.

damn all /ˌdam ˈɔːl

, ˈdam ˌɔːl

/ British English informal
nothing at all:

there's damn all you can do about it.

damn the torpedoes
used to express disregard for danger or for the consequences of an action:

they could just damn the torpedoes and go with the non-confidence motion

he recently turned sixty and decided to go full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes

the review option will allow them to edit, delete, or—damn the torpedoes—hit the send button.

[with reference to the words said to have been used by US admiral David Farragut, the commander of a Unionist fleet, to instruct his men to continue their advance, despite coming under heavy fire, at the Battle of Mobile Bay (1864) during the American Civil War]

damn well informal
used to emphasize a statement, especially when the speaker is angry:

this is your mess and you can damn well clear it up!.

damn someone or something with faint praise
praise someone or something so unenthusiastically as to imply condemnation:

it was a wretched review, damning poor Lisa with faint praise.

I'll be damned (also I'm damned) informal

1 used to express a strong negative:

I'll be damned if I call her!

I'm damned if I know.

2 used to express surprise:

Well, I'll be damned! What brings you here?.

not be worth a damn informal
have no value at all:

your evidence isn't worth a damn.

not give a damn (also not care a damn) informal
not care at all:

they don't give a damn about the environment.

– ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French dam(p)ner, from Latin dam(p)nare ‘inflict loss on’, from damnum ‘loss, damage’.