suffer
Americanverb (used without object)
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suffers,
present (3rd person singular)
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suffered,
past participle, past
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suffering
present participle
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to undergo or feel pain or distress.
The patient is still suffering.
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to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss.
One's health suffers from overwork. The business suffers from lack of capital.
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to undergo a penalty, as of death.
The traitor was made to suffer on the gallows.
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to endure pain, disability, death, etc., patiently or willingly.
verb (used with object)
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suffers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
suffered,
past participle, past
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suffering
present participle
-
to undergo, be subjected to, or endure (pain, distress, injury, loss, or anything unpleasant).
to suffer the pangs of conscience.
- Synonyms:
- sustain
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to undergo or experience (any action, process, or condition).
to suffer change.
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to tolerate or allow.
I do not suffer fools gladly.
verb
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to undergo or be subjected to (pain, punishment, etc)
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(tr) to undergo or experience (anything)
to suffer a change of management
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(intr) to be set at a disadvantage
this author suffers in translation
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to be prepared to endure (pain, death, etc)
he suffers for the cause of freedom
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archaic (tr) to permit (someone to do something)
suffer the little children to come unto me
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to be ill with, esp recurrently
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to be given to
he suffers from a tendency to exaggerate
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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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsufferablenessnoun
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sufferablenessnoun
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sufferernoun
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unsufferablenessnoun
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presufferverb
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outsufferverb (used with object)
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nonsufferableadjective
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sufferableadjective
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unsufferableadjective
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nonsufferablyadverb
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sufferablyadverb
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unsufferablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suffersimple
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sufferssimple
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have sufferedperfect
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has sufferedperfect
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am sufferingprogressive
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are sufferingprogressive
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is sufferingprogressive
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have been sufferingperfect progressive
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has been sufferingperfect progressive
Past
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sufferedsimple
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had sufferedperfect
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was sufferingprogressive
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were sufferingprogressive
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had been sufferingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suffer
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English suff(e)ren, from Latin sufferre, from suf- suf- ( def. ) + ferre “to bring, carry”; compare Old French sofrir, from Vulgar Latin sufferīre (unrecorded); see also bear 1 ( def. ), -phore ( def. )
Explanation
The verb suffer means to feel pain or something equally unpleasant. You'd probably do anything you could to be sure your beloved cat didn't suffer when she got old and sick. You can suffer from the pain of a broken leg, but you can also suffer from shyness, regret, poverty, or any number of unpleasant things. You can even describe something that becomes worse using the word suffer, like when someone's grades suffer during soccer season. The root of suffer is the Latin word sufferre, to bear, undergo, or endure. That's why someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly won't put up with nonsense.
Vocabulary lists containing suffer
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“To see how much hatred can come from a song I wrote in my living room, meant to speak on how hard it is to watch people suffer, is tragic,” the singer wrote on Instagram.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Those who engage in these criminal acts against these animals will suffer the consequences,” Hochman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
That’s because a greater share of their fundamental value comes from future years, and as a result they suffer disproportionately when higher interest rates are used to calculate those future years’ present value.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
They are also less likely to suffer from long-term health conditions and joint problems that are major contributors to sickness absence.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
To suggest that sick children ought to be left to suffer in order to improve their characters seemed quite unlike Mrs. Clarke, whom Penelope knew to be thoroughly kindhearted.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
In “Let Them Eat Goo,” South Park Elementary decides to replace its cafeteria meat with a plant-based substitute after Cartman suffers two heart attacks.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
It took her months to recover and she still suffers from regular post-sepsis symptoms today, but it has given 37-year-old Bachteler a new perspective on life.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Add to which, the economy suffers an anemia Berlin is struggling to cure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Over longer horizons, however, the S&P 500 on average barely suffers a hiccup because of first hikes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Look, Candy. This ol’ dog jus’ suffers hisself all the time.
From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
Polymarket has reimbursed some customers who suffered losses, while others have worked with their banks to reverse unauthorized charges, said a person familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The country's entire electricity grid suffered "total disconnection" that triggered a nationwide outage, Cuba's energy ministry said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
For his part, Pantoja has not fought since that bout against Van, in which he suffered a dislocated arm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Not because the town suffered from an acute shortage of organic kale, exactly.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
“In the last days of her life, before Congress purchased her husband’s papers, she was in a state of absolute poverty, and I think sometimes suffered for the necessaries of life,” Jennings said.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
No cause of death was provided, but Peter Max had been suffering from advanced dementia, according to the Associated Press.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The Semi and the Roadster have been in the works for years, suffering repeated delays since they were both introduced to investors by Musk as concepts in November 2017.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Charlie Wilson, one of the most potent voices in 1980s funk, played more than 35 shows last year before suffering multiple strokes in October.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
In 2019, when he was still president, Duterte revealed he was suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune condition that causes nerve malfunction.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Just as for every bitter herb there was sweet charoset, hope and joy persisted alongside suffering.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
