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

March is awareness month for autoimmune disorders, bleed disorders, multiple sclerosis, colorectal cancer, endometriosis, traumatic brain injuries and trisomy, a genetic condition characterized by the presence of three copies of a specific chromosome instead of the usual pair (two copies). —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026

According to the lawsuit, Barnes suffered a traumatic brain injury when his head was pushed into a car window during the incident. —Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026

Monica, who got a traumatic brain injury in the first season of Yellowstone, died as a result of cancer due to the toxicity on the reservation. —Peter White, Deadline, 1 Mar. 2026

The hour-long, primetime documentary chronicled his traumatic brain injury (TBI), his painstaking recovery and the plight of thousands of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with similar injuries. —ABC News, 26 Feb. 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