definitions

suffer

[ suhf-er ]
/ ˈsʌf ər /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR suffer ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to undergo or feel pain or distress: The patient is still suffering.
to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss: One's health suffers from overwork. The business suffers from lack of capital.
to undergo a penalty, as of death: The traitor was made to suffer on the gallows.
to endure pain, disability, death, etc., patiently or willingly.

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

acceptable, admissible, allowable, endurable, livable, manageable, passable, satisfactory, supportable, tolerable, sustainable

Nearby words

suez canal crisis, suf-, suf., sufentanil citrate, suff., suffer, suffer fools gladly, sufferable, sufferance, suffering, suffern

Origin of suffer

1200–50; Middle English suff(e)ren < Latin sufferre, equivalent to suf- suf- + ferre to bear1; compare Old French sofrir < Vulgar Latin *sufferīre

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sufferable

British Dictionary definitions for sufferable (1 of 2)

sufferable

/ (ˈsʌfərəbəl, ˈsʌfrə-) /

adjective

able to be tolerated or suffered; endurable

Derived Forms

sufferably, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for sufferable (2 of 2)

suffer

/ (ˈsʌfə) /

verb

to undergo or be subjected to (pain, punishment, etc)
(tr) to undergo or experience (anything)to suffer a change of management
(intr) to be set at a disadvantagethis author suffers in translation
to be prepared to endure (pain, death, etc)he suffers for the cause of freedom
(tr) archaic to permit (someone to do something)suffer the little children to come unto me
suffer from
  1. to be ill with, esp recurrently
  2. to be given tohe suffers from a tendency to exaggerate

Derived Forms

sufferer, noun

Word Origin for suffer

C13: from Old French soffrir, from Latin sufferre, from sub- + ferre to bear

usage

It is better to avoid using the words suffer and sufferer in relation to chronic illness or disability. They may be considered demeaning and disempowering. Suitable alternative are have, experience, be diagnosed with
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with sufferable

suffer

see not suffer fools gladly.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.