suffer

verb suf·fer \ ˈsə-fər \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

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Examples: suffer in a Sentence

Definition of suffer

suffered; suffering play \ˈsə-f(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : to submit to or be forced to endure

suffer martyrdom

b : to feel keenly : labor under

suffer thirst

2 : undergo, experience

3 : to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable

4 : to allow especially by reason of indifference

the eagle suffers little birds to sing
—William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

1 : to endure death, pain, or distress

2 : to sustain loss or damage

3 : to be subject to disability or handicap

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sufferable

play \ˈsə-f(ə-)rə-bəl\ adjective

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sufferableness

noun

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sufferably

play \ˈsə-f(ə-)rə-blē\ adverb

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sufferer

play \ˈsə-fər-ər\ noun

See suffer defined for English-language learners

See suffer defined for kids

Examples of suffer in a Sentence

He died instantly and did not suffer.
He suffered a heart attack and died instantly.
She suffered an injury during the game.
We suffered a great deal during the war.
I hate to see a child suffer.
She suffered through another one of their long visits.
The team suffered a defeat in the play-offs.
Their relationship suffered because of her work.

Recent Examples of suffer from the Web

Prince died at his Minneapolis home in 2016 after suffering a fentanyl overdose.

— james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Paisley pink Fender guitar signed by Prince leads bidding in Bradley Center auction," 5 June 2018
Bullimore was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in October 1916, by which time he had been discharged after suffering head wounds from shrapnel.

— arun lal, Fox News, "WWI hero's 103-year-old Cadbury chocolates expected to fetch tasty price at auction," 4 June 2018
USA TODAY Sports Tight end Zach Miller probably won't play a single snap in 2018 after suffering a gruesome leg injury last season.

— tom schad, USA TODAY, "Chicago Bears re-signing Zach Miller after horrific knee injury, per reports," 4 June 2018
Here's how McCann left Sunday’s 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays early after suffering a left intercostal spasm and was replaced by Hicks in the seventh inning.

— orion sang, Detroit Free Press, "James McCann returning to Detroit Tigers lineup for Game 2 vs. Yankees," 4 June 2018
The star middle hitter missed the majority of the postseason after suffering a hand laceration.

— logan malloy, Daily Southtown, "Helping hand: Mike Herlihy shakes off 16 stitches in hand, leads Lincoln-Way East to boys volleyball state title," 3 June 2018
A year after suffering one of the most deflating defeats in Finals history against Miami — more on that later — Ginobili and the Spurs crushed the Heat in a 2014 rematch.

— jeff mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Championship snapshots: The top 10 Finals moments in Spurs history," 2 June 2018
Perkins passes away from throat cancer at 65 in Tennessee, after suffering a series of strokes.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "98 Things That Happened in 1998," 1 June 2018
Love was in the NBA's Concussion Protocol after suffering a blow to the head on Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

— sean meagher, OregonLive.com, "NBA Finals 2018: Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love cleared to play in Game 1," 31 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suffer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of suffer

Middle English suffren, from Anglo-French suffrir, from Vulgar Latin *sufferire, from Latin sufferre, from sub- up + ferre to bear — more at sub-, bear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

suffer Synonyms

Phrases

stand for;

Synonym Discussion of suffer

bear, suffer, endure, abide, tolerate, stand mean to put up with something trying or painful. bear usually implies the power to sustain without flinching or breaking.