French dictionary
nuire/nɥi/
verb · B1 · Frequency 3483
verb
Meanings
to harm, to spoil
nuire is typically used as a transitive verb with an indirect object, indicating causing harm or damage to someone or something.
Examples
Le bruit nuit au sommeil des voisins.
The noise harms the neighbors' sleep.
Cette humidité nuit aux murs de la maison.
This humidity damages the walls of the house.
Un manque de sommeil nuit à la concentration.
A lack of sleep harms concentration.
Grammar note
Nuire forms compound tenses with the auxiliary verb avoir; it is commonly followed by the preposition à to indicate the object harmed.