traumatic brain injury

noun

: an acquired brain injury caused by external force (such as a blow to the head sustained in a motor vehicle accident or fall or shrapnel or a bullet entering through the skull)

Traumatic brain injury occurs when the shock from an explosion damages neurological fibers. Soldiers may survive a blast with scarcely a cut, only to find over time that they suffer coordination and memory loss, dizziness, insomnia.

—Nancy Gibbs

An unprotected fall, especially if the player is unconscious or his opponent lands on top of him, can result in severe traumatic brain injury.

—Michael J. Stuart et al.

broadly : acquired brain injury

—abbreviation TBI

Examples of traumatic brain injury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the lawsuit, the toddler was taken to the emergency room later that day for evaluation of blunt head trauma and was diagnosed with a concussion, traumatic brain injury and facial abrasions. — Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Concerns about traumatic brain injuries, underscored by tragedies in which chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is cited as the cause, caused families to back away from football. — Tim Graham, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Shawn now suffers from bilateral sciatica, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, tinnitus and low-level hearing loss. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026

Their patients include children who have seizure disorders, congenital heart diseases that require surgery, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injuries and leukemia, as well as others who need feeding tubes and ventilators to treat their illnesses, according to their court declarations. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

traumatic brain injury

noun

: an acquired brain injury caused by external force (as a blow to the head sustained in a motor vehicle accident or fall or shrapnel or a bullet entering through the skull)

A soldier—or a civilian—can survive the blast without a single penetrating wound and still receive the worst diagnosis: traumatic brain injury, or TBI, the signature injury of the Iraq War.

—Michael Mason, Discover

An unprotected fall, especially if the player is unconscious or his opponent lands on top of him, can result in severe traumatic brain injury.

—Michael J. Stuart et al., USA Today

broadly : acquired brain injury

—abbreviation TBI