damn

The word “damn” means used to express anger, frustration, or surprise. In plain terms, a mild swear word used for emphasis, frustration, or to condemn something strongly.

“Damn” is pronounced DAM (/ˈdæm/ in IPA).

Here is “damn” used in a sentence: “Damn, I forgot my keys again.”

Depending on how it is used, “damn” can be an interjection, an adverb and a verb.

The word “damn” comes from Latin. From Old French damner, from Latin damnare ("to condemn, to inflict loss upon").

“Damn” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Damn” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to express anger, frustration, or surprise.

Damn is a mild swear word. It was once considered strongly offensive because of its religious meaning, but today most people regard it as fairly gentle, far milder than stronger profanity. It is fine in casual speech among friends, though best avoided in formal writing or very polite company.

Darn is a polite, softened substitute for damn, created so people could express frustration without swearing. The two mean the same thing as exclamations, but damn is the original mild profanity while darn is a family-friendly stand-in you can use freely in almost any setting.

Damn is informal. As an exclamation of anger, frustration, or surprise, it belongs to casual, spoken English and relaxed writing. You would not use it in a business report, academic essay, or polite formal letter, where a phrase like 'how frustrating' would be more appropriate.