public harm

USAGE SUMMARY

"public harm" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it in situations where there is harm or damage caused to the general public or society as a whole. This can include physical harm, emotional harm, or harm to the public's well-being or reputation. Example: The government's decision to cut funding for public schools is causing great public harm, as students are no longer receiving a quality education.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

29 human-written examples

But, Judge Patel said, given that Napster is now offline, the company appears to no longer be causing public harm.

The New York Times

Still, some said they were relieved that the state — and not outside experts, as environmental groups had wanted — will assess the potential for public harm.

The New York Times

She said his mistakes were "deliberate, inappropriate and repeated" and "had the potential for public harm", although there was no evidence any actual harm took place.

Independent

"What every prosecutor is practically required to do is to select the cases for prosecution and to select those in which the offense is the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain".

The New Yorker

"To permit corporations to conceal the nefarious acts of their underlings by using the shield of corporate armor to deflect corporate responsibility," the court ruled, would permit them "to inflict widespread public harm without hope of redress".

The New York Times

In order to have meaningful conversations about bias on shale issues, it is perhaps not the best use of media influence to give too much criticism to young Ph.D. candidates attempting to investigate potential for public harm, at a time when academic/industry groups have so thoroughly saturated the media with mind-numbing propaganda.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

30 human-written examples

For more on private versus public harms see, for example, Bator (1958), Head (1962), and Baumol and Oates (1988).

SERIEs

The staff also finds that there are serious questions whether the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile would cause other public harms that are not offset by the claimed benefits.

TechCrunch

I've written before about the factory farm fakers opposing California's Proposition 2, and their sordid record of duping the public, harming animals, polluting the environment, and exploiting workers.

Huffington Post

Moreover, because democracy is not a spectator sport, and because all citizens in a democracy are responsible for being politically active, so as to help stop public harms, all citizens have duties to help stop avoidable DT.

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

But the FSA's job should, I think, be to protect the public from harm, to protect the profession from harm and to protect the state from harm.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "public harm", clearly define the specific nature of the harm and who is affected to avoid ambiguity. For example, specify whether it involves financial losses, health risks, or environmental damage.

Common error

Avoid exaggerating the potential for "public harm" without sufficient evidence. Overly alarmist language can undermine your credibility. Always provide factual support and context to justify claims of harm.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "public harm" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as the object of a verb or preposition. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and denotes damage or injury inflicted upon the general population. It is often used to describe the negative consequences of actions or policies.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

20%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "public harm" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed noun phrase that describes damage or injury to the general population. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it is widely used in diverse contexts, including news, science, and formal business settings. To ensure clarity, specify the nature of the harm and affected parties when using this phrase, and provide adequate evidence to support claims of potential "public harm". Related alternatives include "harm to the public" and "damage to the public", among others. Awareness of these linguistic nuances enhances effective communication regarding actions impacting societal well-being.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

harm to the public

Reverses the order of words while retaining the same core meaning.

damage to the public

Replaces "harm" with the synonym "damage", focusing on tangible or measurable loss.

detriment to the public

Substitutes "harm" with "detriment", suggesting a disadvantage or injury.

injury to the public

Replaces "harm" with "injury", often implying physical or psychological damage.

risk to public safety

Focuses specifically on threats to the safety and well-being of the public.

threat to public welfare

Highlights the potential impact on the overall well-being of the public.

endangerment of the public

Emphasizes the act of putting the public in danger.

jeopardy to the public

Suggests that the public is in a state of risk or peril.

public safety hazard

Uses a different grammatical structure, presenting it as a type of hazard.

adverse impact on the public

Replaces "harm" with a broader term, "adverse impact", encompassing a wider range of negative effects.

FAQs

How can I use "public harm" in a sentence?

You can use "public harm" to describe actions or policies that negatively affect the general population. For example, "The company's negligence resulted in significant "public harm".".

What are some alternatives to saying "public harm"?

Alternatives include phrases like "harm to the public", "damage to the public", or "detriment to the public", depending on the specific context and nuance you want to convey.

Is "public harm" a formal or informal term?

"Public harm" is a neutral to formal term, commonly used in legal, governmental, and journalistic contexts. Its formality depends on the overall tone of the writing or speech.

What kind of actions can lead to "public harm"?

Many actions can lead to "public harm", including environmental pollution, corporate negligence, misinformation campaigns, and policy decisions that negatively affect public health or safety.