Definition Definition

suffer - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'suffer' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Suffer [ v. i.]
- To feel or undergo pain of body or mind; to bear what is inconvenient; as, we suffer from pain, sickness, or sorrow; we suffer with anxiety.
- To undergo punishment; specifically, to undergo the penalty of death.
- To be injured; to sustain loss or damage.
2 . Suffer [ v. t.]
- To feel, or endure, with pain, annoyance, etc.; to submit to with distress or grief; to undergo; as, to suffer pain of body, or grief of mind.
- To endure or undergo without sinking; to support; to sustain; to bear up under.
- To undergo; to be affected by; to sustain; to experience; as, most substances suffer a change when long exposed to air and moisture; to suffer loss or damage.
- To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder; to tolerate.

Meaning of 'suffer' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . suffer [ v]
Meaning (1):
- experience (emotional) pain
Example in sentence:
  • Every time her husband gets drunk, she suffers
Meaning (2):
- undergo (as of injuries and illnesses)
Example in sentence:
  • He got his arm broken in the scuffle;
  • He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars;
  • She got a bruise on her leg;
  • She suffered a fracture in the accident
Meaning (3):
- put up with something or somebody unpleasant
Example in sentence:
  • he learned to tolerate the heat;
  • I cannot bear his constant criticism;
  • She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage;
  • The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks
Meaning (4):
- undergo or be subjected to
Example in sentence:
  • He suffered the penalty;
  • Many saints suffered martyrdom
Meaning (5):
- get worse
Example in sentence:
  • Her health is declining;
  • His grades suffered;
  • My grades are slipping
Meaning (6):
- undergo or suffer
Example in sentence:
  • meet a violent death;
  • suffer a terrible fate
Meaning (7):
- feel unwell or uncomfortable
Example in sentence:
  • She is suffering from the hot weather
Meaning (8):
- be given to
Example in sentence:
  • She suffers from a tendency to talk too much
Meaning (9):
- be set at a disadvantage
Example in sentence:
  • The painting loses something in this light;
  • This author really suffers in translation
Meaning (10):
- feel physical pain
Example in sentence:
  • Were you hurting after the accident?

Nearby Words:

suf- sufferable sufferance suffered sufferer suffering suffice sufficed sufficience sufficiency

See 'suffer' also in:

Dictionary.com Google Translator Wikipedia.com Merriam Webster

Related Definitions

  • Tenancy at Sufferance
    Tenancy at Sufferance, also known as Holdover Tenancy, occurs when a tenant overstays their agreed-upon time limit. It happens when the owner did not request...

Categories

Browse Dictionary