suffer
[suhf-er]
- 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.
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- to undergo, be subjected to, or endure (pain, distress, injury, loss, or anything unpleasant): to suffer the pangs of conscience.
- to undergo or experience (any action, process, or condition): to suffer change.
- to tolerate or allow: I do not suffer fools gladly.
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Origin of suffer
Synonyms
See more synonyms for suffer on Thesaurus.com5. sustain. 7. stomach, stand, abide.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for suffered
Contemporary Examples
These were cops who had worked the protests and suffered the accompanying verbal taunts and abuse.
Twelve-year-old dance prodigy Maddie Ziegler has suffered the wrath of Dance Moms tyrant Abby Lee Miller.
See Burly Shia LaBeouf Interpretive Cage Fight Lil Sia in the Singer’s Fantastic New Music VideoMarlow Stern
January 7, 2015
My father has suffered two strokes and endured brain cancer since I was arrested and imprisoned.
I am always sick because of the cold and I have suffered constant lung infections over the past several months.
Like other barrier-breakers before him, Colfer suffered his share of doubters.
Chris Colfer on Writing, Acting, and the Pain of Being A Pop Culture TrailblazerOliver Jones
December 15, 2014
Historical Examples
He had suffered himself to regain something of his old cheerfulness of manner.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
I have suffered much since your brother carried me to Birmingham.
I was very much exhausted, and suffered greatly from hunger.
Biography of a SlaveCharles Thompson
She had suffered so much, so poignantly, that at last her emotions had grown sluggish.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
For that very reason, she suffered much from a conscience newly clamorous.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
suffer
- 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
- to be ill with, esp recurrently
- to be given tohe suffers from a tendency to exaggerate
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Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for suffered
suffer
v.
early 13c., "to be made to undergo, endure" (pain, death, punishment, judgment, grief), from Anglo-French suffrir, Old French sufrir, from Vulgar Latin *sufferire, variant of Latin sufferre "to bear, undergo, endure, carry or put under," from sub "up, under" (see sub-) + ferre "to carry" (see infer).
Replaced Old English þolian, þrowian. Meaning "to meekly submit to hardship" is from late 13c. That of "to undergo" (distress, suffering, etc.) is mid-14c. Meaning "to tolerate, allow" something to occur or continue is recorded from mid-13c. Related: Suffered; suffering.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with suffered
suffer
see not suffer fools gladly.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.