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

Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries. —Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025

Mild concussion, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is one of the most common reasons people present to the emergency department. —New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025

The eighth grader suffered a traumatic brain injury and had surgeries to remove bullet fragments and alleviate brain swelling. —Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025

The findings may help neuroscientists better understand and treat memory issues in mental disorders such as schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025

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