Meaning & use
minor injuries
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
Small injuries, such as cuts, bruises, or sprains, that are not serious.
Grammar: Plural noun; use a plural verb: 'Minor injuries are common.' For one case, say 'a minor injury'.
Patterns
- suffer minor injuries
- treat minor injuries
- minor injuries unit
The cyclist suffered minor injuries and was sent home after treatment.
The clinic deals with minor injuries like small burns and sprained ankles.
Players often get minor injuries during training but recover quickly.
Common combinations
- suffer minor injuries
- Two passengers suffered minor injuries in the crash.
- treat minor injuries
- Nurses can treat minor injuries without a doctor.
- minor injuries unit
- The minor injuries unit is open until 10 p.m.
- only minor injuries
- Luckily, there were only minor injuries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- small injuries
- 'Small injuries' is less common in medical contexts; 'minor injuries' is the standard phrase on signs and in reports.
- slight injuries
- 'Slight injuries' is possible but sounds more formal and is used less often than 'minor injuries'.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: minor injuries or wounds?
minor injuries vs wounds
'Wounds' usually means cuts or holes in the skin, often from violence or weapons; 'minor injuries' is broader and includes bruises and sprains.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'minor injuries' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Minor injuries unit' is a fixed phrase for a place that treats small injuries. The other options make mistakes with singular/plural agreement or articles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “minor injuries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.