Dictionary
bruise
Pronunciation: (brOOz), [key]
—v., bruised, bruis•ing,
—n.
—
v.t.
1. to injure by striking or pressing, without breaking the skin:
The blow bruised his arm. Her pinching bruised the peaches.
2. to injure or hurt slightly, as with an insult or unkind remark:
to bruise a person's feelings.
3. to crush (drugs or food) by beating or pounding.
4. Metalworking.to injure the surface of (an ingot or finished object) by collision.
—
v.i.
1. to develop or bear a discolored spot on the skin as the result of a blow, fall, etc.
2. to become injured slightly:
His feelings bruise easily.
—
n.
an injury due to bruising; contusion.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.