Definition of the word suffer - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

transitive verb

: to submit to or be forced to endure

: to feel keenly : labor under

: to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable

: to allow especially by reason of indifference

the eagle suffers little birds to sing—William Shakespeare

intransitive verb

: to endure death, pain, or distress

: to sustain loss or damage

: to be subject to disability or handicap

Synonyms

Choose the Right Synonym for suffer

forced to bear a tragic loss

suffer often suggests acceptance or passivity rather than courage or patience in bearing.

endure implies continuing firm or resolute through trials and difficulties.

endured years of rejection

abide suggests acceptance without resistance or protest.

cannot abide their rudeness

tolerate suggests overcoming or successfully controlling an impulse to resist, avoid, or resent something injurious or distasteful.

refused to tolerate such treatment

stand emphasizes even more strongly the ability to bear without discomposure or flinching.

Example Sentences

He died instantly and did not suffer.

He suffered a heart attack and died instantly.

She suffered an injury during the game.

We suffered a great deal during the war.

I hate to see a child suffer.

She suffered through another one of their long visits.

The team suffered a defeat in the play-offs.

Their relationship suffered because of her work.

Recent Examples on the Web

After suffering a five-game sweep against the Beavers last season, the Ducks enter the 2023 rivalry series primed for revenge.

—Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 7 Apr. 2023

Durant missed 10 games with a left ankle sprain suffered on March 8 in a pregame workout.

—Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2023

As dark as death can be — particularly for those suffering with grief — light and life are greater.

—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2023

As remediation continues, home sales in East Palestine will likely suffer for a while, Michael Stevens, board president for the Youngstown Columbiana Association of Realtors told the Canton Repository.

—The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2023

But as manufacturers cut corners on fabric quality and labor in order to keep costs down and the end product suffers, now all anyone wants to buy is a winter coat that lasts.

—Isabel Slone, Harper’s BAZAAR, 7 Apr. 2023

However, Corona, who his mother says is a straight-A student, suffered permanent brain damage and has a long road to recovery.

—Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 7 Apr. 2023

The business membership and research group this week launched the Job Loss Risk Index, which estimates what industries could suffer the largest employment losses during a recession.

—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 6 Apr. 2023

Crespo started sending mental-health surveys to students at the beginning of the pandemic, and the results spoke to the immensity of suffering in their community.

—Meg Bernhard, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2023

See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘suffer.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sufferen, suffren, borrowed from Anglo-French suffrir, going back to Vulgar Latin *sufferīre, re-formation of Latin sufferre «to submit to, endure,» from suf-, assimilated form of sub- sub- + ferre «to carry, bear» — more at bear entry 2

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of suffer was
in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near suffer

Cite this Entry

“Suffer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suffer. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on suffer

Last Updated:
9 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged

Источник

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

suf·fer

(sŭf′ər)

v. suf·fered, suf·fer·ing, suf·fers

v.intr.

1. To feel pain or distress; sustain injury or harm: suffer from arthritis; made the people suffer for their disloyalty.

a. To have a specified shortcoming or weakness: writing that suffers from poor organization.

b. To sustain a loss, setback, or decline in effectiveness; become worse: When morale drops, the company’s performance suffers.

c. To appear at a disadvantage: «He suffers by comparison with his greater contemporary» (Albert C. Baugh).

v.tr.

a. To experience, undergo, or feel (something painful, injurious, or unpleasant): suffer a heart attack; suffer a debilitating illness; suffer pain.

b. To undergo or be subjected to (a negative experience or development): a team that suffered a defeat; a species that suffered a decline in population; a business that suffered huge losses.

a. To put up with; tolerate: She does not suffer fools easily. See Synonyms at endure.

b. To permit; allow: «They were not suffered to aspire to so exalted a position as that of streetcar conductor» (Edmund S. Morgan).

[Middle English suffren, from Old French sufrir, from Vulgar Latin *sufferīre, from Latin sufferre : sub-, sub- + ferre, to carry; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]

suf′fer·er n.

suf′fer·ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

suffer

(ˈsʌfə)

1. to undergo or be subjected to (pain, punishment, etc)

2. (tr) to undergo or experience (anything): to suffer a change of management.

3. (intr) to be set at a disadvantage: this author suffers in translation.

4. to be prepared to endure (pain, death, etc): he suffers for the cause of freedom.

5. (tr) archaic to permit (someone to do something): suffer the little children to come unto me.

6. suffer from

a. to be ill with, esp recurrently

b. to be given to: he suffers from a tendency to exaggerate.

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

ˈsufferer n

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 and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

suf•fer

(ˈsʌf ər)

v.i.

1. to undergo or feel pain or great distress.

2. to sustain injury, disadvantage, or loss.

3. to endure or be afflicted with something temporarily or chronically: to suffer with a cold; to suffer from parkinsonism.

4. to undergo a penalty, as of death.

v.t.

5. to undergo, be subjected to, or endure (pain, distress, injury, loss, or anything unpleasant).

6. to undergo or experience (any action, process, or condition): to suffer change.

7. to tolerate or allow: I do not suffer fools gladly.

[1200–50; < Latin sufferre=suf- suf- + ferre to bear¹]

suf′fer•a•ble, adj.

suf′fer•a•bly, adv.

suf′fer•er, n.

suffer

impatient — Meaning «not able to bear or suffer,» based on Latin pati, «to suffer.»
compatible — Its base is Latin compati, «suffer with.»
harrow, harrowing — To harrow is to wound the feelings or cause to suffer—which gives us harrowing.
suffer — To suffer something is, etymologically, to «hold or sustain it from underneath,» from Latin sufferre, «sustain.»

suffer

– put up with – stand – bear

1. ‘suffer’

You can say that someone suffers pain or an unpleasant experience.

He suffered a lot of discomfort.

Young suffered imprisonment and intimidation.

2. ‘put up with’

You do not use ‘suffer’ to say that someone tolerates an unpleasant person. You say that they put up with the person.

The local people have to put up with gaping tourists.

3. ‘stand’ and ‘bear’

If you do not like someone at all, you do not say that you ‘can’t suffer’ them. You say that you can’t stand them or can’t bear them.

She said she couldn’t stand him.

I can’t bear kids.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

suffer

Past participle: suffered
Gerund: suffering

Imperative
suffer
suffer

Present
I suffer
you suffer
he/she/it suffers
we suffer
you suffer
they suffer

Preterite
I suffered
you suffered
he/she/it suffered
we suffered
you suffered
they suffered

Present Continuous
I am suffering
you are suffering
he/she/it is suffering
we are suffering
you are suffering
they are suffering

Present Perfect
I have suffered
you have suffered
he/she/it has suffered
we have suffered
you have suffered
they have suffered

Past Continuous
I was suffering
you were suffering
he/she/it was suffering
we were suffering
you were suffering
they were suffering

Past Perfect
I had suffered
you had suffered
he/she/it had suffered
we had suffered
you had suffered
they had suffered

Future
I will suffer
you will suffer
he/she/it will suffer
we will suffer
you will suffer
they will suffer

Future Perfect
I will have suffered
you will have suffered
he/she/it will have suffered
we will have suffered
you will have suffered
they will have suffered

Future Continuous
I will be suffering
you will be suffering
he/she/it will be suffering
we will be suffering
you will be suffering
they will be suffering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been suffering
you have been suffering
he/she/it has been suffering
we have been suffering
you have been suffering
they have been suffering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been suffering
you will have been suffering
he/she/it will have been suffering
we will have been suffering
you will have been suffering
they will have been suffering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been suffering
you had been suffering
he/she/it had been suffering
we had been suffering
you had been suffering
they had been suffering

Conditional
I would suffer
you would suffer
he/she/it would suffer
we would suffer
you would suffer
they would suffer

Past Conditional
I would have suffered
you would have suffered
he/she/it would have suffered
we would have suffered
you would have suffered
they would have suffered

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb	1.	suffer — undergo or be subjected to; «He suffered the penalty»; «Many saints suffered martyrdom» endure tolerate — have a tolerance for a poison or strong drug or pathogen or environmental condition; «The patient does not tolerate the anti-inflammatory drugs we gave him» die — suffer or face the pain of death; «Martyrs may die every day for their faith» experience, go through, see — go or live through; «We had many trials to go through»; «he saw action in Viet Nam» enjoy — have for one’s benefit; «The industry enjoyed a boom»
	2.	suffer — undergo (as of injuries and illnesses); «She suffered a fracture in the accident»; «He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars»; «She got a bruise on her leg»; «He got his arm broken in the scuffle» sustain, have, get collapse, break down — collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack cramp — suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle have — suffer from; be ill with; «She has arthritis» crack up, crock up, collapse, break up, crack — suffer a nervous breakdown experience, have, receive, get — go through (mental or physical states or experiences); «get an idea»; «experience vertigo»; «get nauseous»; «receive injuries»; «have a feeling»
	3.	suffer — experience (emotional) pain; «Every time her husband gets drunk, she suffers» brook, endure, tolerate, stomach, abide, bear, digest, stick out, suffer, put up, stand, support — put up with something or somebody unpleasant; «I cannot bear his constant criticism»; «The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks»; «he learned to tolerate the heat»; «She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage» feel, experience — undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind; «She felt resentful»; «He felt regret» agonise, agonize — suffer agony or anguish anguish — suffer great pains or distress lose — suffer the loss of a person through death or removal; «She lost her husband in the war»; «The couple that wanted to adopt the child lost her when the biological parents claimed her» grieve, sorrow — feel grief
	4.	suffer — put up with something or somebody unpleasant; «I cannot bear his constant criticism»; «The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks»; «he learned to tolerate the heat»; «She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage» brook, endure, tolerate, stomach, abide, bear, digest, stick out, put up, stand, support live with, swallow, accept — tolerate or accommodate oneself to; «I shall have to accept these unpleasant working conditions»; «I swallowed the insult»; «She has learned to live with her husband’s little idiosyncrasies» hold still for, stand for — tolerate or bear; «I won’t stand for this kind of behavior!» bear up — endure cheerfully; «She bore up under the enormous strain» take lying down — suffer without protest; suffer or endure passively; «I won’t take this insult lying down» take a joke — listen to a joke at one’s own expense; «Can’t you take a joke?» sit out — endure to the end pay — bear (a cost or penalty), in recompense for some action; «You’ll pay for this!»; «She had to pay the penalty for speaking out rashly»; «You’ll pay for this opinion later» countenance, permit, allow, let — consent to, give permission; «She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband»; «I won’t let the police search her basement»; «I cannot allow you to see your exam» suffer — experience (emotional) pain; «Every time her husband gets drunk, she suffers»
	5.	suffer — get worse; «His grades suffered» decline, worsen — grow worse; «Conditions in the slum worsened» lose, suffer — be set at a disadvantage; «This author really suffers in translation»
	6.	suffer — feel pain or be in pain hurt have — suffer from; be ill with; «She has arthritis» choke, gag, strangle, suffocate — struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; «he swallowed a fishbone and gagged» ail — be ill or unwell famish, starve, hunger — be hungry; go without food; «Let’s eat—I’m starving!» be — have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); «John is rich»; «This is not a good answer» be well — be healthy; feel good; «She has not been well lately»
	7.	suffer — feel physical pain; «Were you hurting after the accident?» ache, hurt perceive, comprehend — to become aware of through the senses; «I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon» catch, get — suffer from the receipt of; «She will catch hell for this behavior!» twinge — feel a sudden sharp, local pain twinge, prick, sting — cause a stinging pain; «The needle pricked his skin» kill — be the source of great pain for; «These new shoes are killing me!»
	8.	suffer — feel unwell or uncomfortable; «She is suffering from the hot weather» freeze — be cold; «I could freeze to death in this office when the air conditioning is turned on» swelter — be uncomfortably hot be — have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); «John is rich»; «This is not a good answer»
	9.	suffer — be given to; «She suffers from a tendency to talk too much» be given, incline, tend, lean, run — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined; «She tends to be nervous before her lectures»; «These dresses run small»; «He inclined to corpulence»
	10.	suffer — undergo or suffer; «meet a violent death»; «suffer a terrible fate» meet experience, go through, see — go or live through; «We had many trials to go through»; «he saw action in Viet Nam»
	11.	suffer — be set at a disadvantage; «This author really suffers in translation» lose decline, worsen — grow worse; «Conditions in the slum worsened» suffer — get worse; «His grades suffered»

suffer

verb

1. be in pain, hurt, ache, be racked, have a bad time, go through a lot (informal), go through the mill (informal), feel wretched Can you assure me that my father is not suffering?

2. be affected, have trouble with, be afflicted, be troubled with I realized he was suffering from shock.

5. tolerate, stand, put up with (informal), support, bear, endure, brook, hack (Brit. informal), abide She doesn’t suffer fools gladly and, in her view, most people are fools.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

suffer

verb

1. To feel, show, or express grief:

2. To participate in or partake of personally:

3. To put up with:

abide, accept, bear, brook, endure, go, stand (for), stomach, support, sustain, swallow, take, tolerate, withstand.

Idioms: take it, take it lying down.

4. To neither forbid nor prevent:

Translations

يتألَّم، يُعانييَتَحَمَّل الخَسائِريُعانييُعانِييُهْمَل، يُعاني

trpěttrpět nautrpětzanedbat

lidelide aflide skade

suferi

kärsiäkestääkituaollapotea

patiti

szenvedelszenvedkárt vall

gjalda fyrir; verîa fyrir vanræksluòjástòjást afverîa fyrir, bíîa

被る我慢する掛かる罹患する苦しむ

괴로워하다

būti kamuojamamkentėjimaskentėtikęstinukentėti

būt atstātam novārtāciestslimot ar

suferi

trpieťutrpieťzanedbať

trpeti

lidalida av

ทนทุกข์ทรมาน

chịu đựng

Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

suffer

[ˈsʌfə^r]

vt [+ pain, headaches, strain] → souffrir de; [+ heart attack] → faire; [+ shock] → subir; [+ setback, losses, defeat, hardship] → subir
to suffer the same fate → subir le même sort

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

suffer

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

suffer

(ˈsafə) verb

1. to undergo, endure or bear pain, misery etc. He suffered terrible pain from his injuries; The crash killed him instantly – he didn’t suffer at all; I’ll make you suffer for this insolence.

2. to undergo or experience. The army suffered enormous losses.

3. to be neglected. I like to see you enjoying yourself, but you mustn’t let your work suffer.

4. (with from) to have or to have often (a particular illness etc). She suffers from stomach-aches.

ˈsuffering noun

(a feeling of) pain or misery. The shortage of food caused widespread suffering; She keeps complaining about her sufferings.

suffer

→ يُعانِي trpět lide leiden υποφέρω sufrir kärsiä souffrir patiti soffrire 被る 괴로워하다 lijden lide znieść sofrer страдать lida av ทนทุกข์ทรมาน acı çekmek chịu đựng 遭受

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

suffer

v. sufrir, padecer;

to ___ from → padecer de.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

I suffer from travel sickness (US)
I get travel-sick (UK)
I suffer from vertigo
I suffer from asthma
I suffer from arthritis

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

suffer

vi sufrir; to — from padecer; She suffers from arthritis..Ella padece artritis.

Источник

Other forms: suffered; suffering; suffers

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.

Definitions of suffer

verb

undergo or be subjected to

“He
suffered the penalty”

“Many saints
suffered martyrdom”

synonyms:

endure
verb

undergo (as of injuries and illnesses)

“She
suffered a fracture in the accident”

synonyms:

get, have, sustain

have

suffer from; be ill with

see moresee less

types:

show 5 types…

hide 5 types…

break down, collapse

collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack

cramp

suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle

break up, collapse, crack, crack up, crock up

suffer a nervous breakdown

drop like flies

rapidly collapse, die, or drop out in large numbers

fall over, go over

fall forward and down

type of:

experience, get, have, receive

go through (mental or physical states or experiences)
“suffer a terrible fate”

synonyms:

meet
verb

feel pain or be in pain
verb

experience (emotional) pain

Synonyms:

abide, bear, brook, digest, endure, put up, stand, stick out, stomach, support, tolerate

put up with something or somebody unpleasant
verb

feel unwell or uncomfortable

“She is
suffering from the hot weather”

see moresee less

types:

freeze

be cold

swelter

be uncomfortably hot

type of:

be

have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
verb

put up with something or somebody unpleasant

synonyms:

abide, bear, brook, digest, endure, put up, stand, stick out, stomach, support, tolerate
“She
suffers from a tendency to talk too much”
“His grades
suffered”

Synonyms:

lose

be set at a disadvantage
verb

be set at a disadvantage

“This author really
suffers in translation”

synonyms:

lose

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘suffer’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Look up suffer for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the
words you need to know.

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.

Get started

Источник

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English suffren, from Anglo-Norman suffrir, from Latin sufferō (“to offer, hold up, bear, suffer”), from sub- (“up, under”) + ferō (“I carry”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”). Displaced native Old English þrōwian.

Pronunciation[edit]

(UK) enPR: sŭfʹər, IPA^(key): /ˈsʌfə/
(US) enPR: sŭfʹər, IPA^(key): /ˈsʌfɚ/
Rhymes: -ʌfə(ɹ)
Hyphenation: suf‧fer

Verb[edit]

suffer (third-person singular simple present suffers, present participle suffering, simple past and past participle suffered)

(intransitive) To undergo hardship.

Synonym: bear

Many artists suffer before becoming famous.
(intransitive) To feel pain.

Synonyms: agonize, anguish, thole; see also Thesaurus:suffer

At least he didn’t suffer when he died in the car crash.
(intransitive) To become worse.

Synonyms: deteriorate, worsen; see also Thesaurus:worsen

If you keep partying like this, your school-work will suffer.
- 1961 October, “Motive Power Miscellany: Scottish Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 638:
  
  Our correspondent found that timekeeping had suffered following the substitution of Class 5 4-6-0s on these workings.
(transitive) To endure, undergo.

Synonyms: bear, dree, thole; see also Thesaurus:tolerate

I’ve been suffering your insults for years.

We hope you never have to suffer the same pain.
- c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
  
  If you may pleaſe to thinke I loue the King, / And through him, what’s neereſt to him, which is / Your gracious ſelfe; embrace but my direction, / If your more ponderous and ſetled proiect may ſuffer alteration.
- 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
  
  Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
(transitive, archaic, law) To allow.

Synonym: permit
- 1938, The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 203:
  
  «Employ» includes to suffer or permit to work.
- 1978, Section 31-36 of the Code of Montgomery County, Maryland:
  
  […] it shall be unlawful for any person to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle to be parked […] beyond the period of time established by the duration of the parking meter […]

Conjugation[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

insufferable
sufferable
sufferance
sufferer
suffer from
suffering
suffer fools gladly
suffer by comparison
unsufferable

[edit]

sublate
sublation

Translations[edit]

undergo hardship

Albanian:

Arbëresh: psonj
Arabic: تَأَلَّمَ‎ (taʔallama), عَانَى‎ (ʕānā)

Hijazi Arabic: عانى‎ (ʿāna), شِقِي‎ (šigi)
Azerbaijani: əziyyət çəkmək, əzab çəkmək
Belarusian: пакутава́ць impf (pakutavácʹ), му́чыцца impf (múčycca)
Bulgarian: стра́дам (bg) (strádam), мъ́ча са (mǎ́ča sa)
Catalan: sofrir (ca), patir (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 受苦 (zh) (shòukǔ), 遭受 (zh) (zāoshòu), 吃苦 (zh) (chīkǔ)
Chuvash: тарӑх (tarăh)
Czech: trpět (cs)
Danish: lide (da)
Dutch: lijden (nl)
Esperanto: suferi (eo)
Finnish: kärsiä (fi)
French: souffrir (fr)
Friulian: sufrî, patî
Galician: sufrir (gl)
German: leiden (de)
Gothic: 𐌸𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌽 (þulan)
Greek: υποφέρω (el) (ypoféro), βασανίζομαι (el) (vasanízomai), δεινοπαθώ (el) (deinopathó)

Ancient: πάσχω (páskhō), νοσέω (noséō)
Haitian Creole: soufri
Hebrew: סבל‎ (he) (saval)
Hungarian: szenved (hu)
Ido: please add this translation if you can
Italian: soffrire (it), penare (it), patire (it)
Japanese: 被る (ja) (こうむる, kōmuru)
Korean: 괴로와하다 (goerowahada), 시달리다 (ko) (sidallida), 고통받다 (gotongbatda), 겪다 (ko) (gyeokda)
Latgalian: cīst, stiļt
Latin: patior (la)
Latvian: ciest
Lithuanian: kęsti (lt)
Lombard: patì
Malayalam: കഷ്ടപ്പെടുക (ml) (kaṣṭappeṭuka)
Maori: ngahi (refers to a punishment), whakataimaha, whakataumaha, makuhea (from starvation)
Norwegian: lide (no)
Occitan: sofrir (oc), patir (oc)
Old English: þrōwian
Old French: susfrir
Piedmontese: patì
Polish: cierpieć (pl) impf, pokutować (pl) impf
Portuguese: sofrer (pt)
Quechua: llakiy, muchuy, ñak’ay
Romanian: suferi (ro)
Romansch: patir, pitir, piteir
Russian: страда́ть (ru) impf (stradátʹ), му́чаться (ru) impf (múčatʹsja)
Sardinian: patire, patiri, sufrire, sufriri, sunfrire, sunfriri
Scottish Gaelic: fulaing
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: патити impf

Roman: patiti (sh)
Sicilian: patiri (scn), suffriri
Slovak: trpieť impf
Slovene: trpeti (sl)
Spanish: sufrir (es), penar (es)
Swahili: teseka (sw)
Swedish: lida (sv)
Thai: ตรำ (dtram)
Turkish: elem çekecek, elem çekmek
Ukrainian: стражда́ти (uk) impf (straždáty), му́читися impf (múčytysja), терпі́ти impf (terpíty)
Venetian: patir
Vietnamese: chịu đựng (vi)

feel pain

Bulgarian: боли ме (boli me)
Catalan: sofrir (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Czech: trpět (cs)
Danish: lide (da)
Dutch: lijden (nl)
Esperanto: suferi (eo)
Finnish: kärsiä (fi), kitua (fi)
French: souffrir (fr)
Galician: sufrir (gl)
German: leiden (de)
Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (winnan), 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (gawinnan)
Greek: υποφέρω (el) (ypoféro)

Ancient: ἀλγέω (algéō), νοσέω (noséō)
Greenlandic: anniarpoq
Hungarian: szenved (hu)
Italian: soffrire (it)
Japanese: 苦しむ (ja) (くるしむ, kurushimu)
Latin: doleō (la)
Malayalam: വേദനിക്കുക (ml) (vēdanikkuka)
Maori: kōharihari, pākinikini, hīwiniwini (from aches), pākikini
Norwegian: lide (no)
Occitan: sofrir (oc)
Old English: þrōwian
Old French: susfrir
Polish: cierpieć (pl)
Portuguese: sofrer (pt)
Quechua: llakiy
Romanian: suferi (ro)
Russian: страда́ть (ru) impf (stradátʹ), му́чаться (ru) impf (múčatʹsja)
Sanskrit: वहति (sa) (vahati)
Spanish: sufrir (es)
Swahili: teseka (sw)
Swedish: lida (sv)
Ukrainian: стражда́ти (uk) impf (straždáty), му́читися impf (múčytysja)
Vietnamese: cảm thấy đau
Welsh: dioddef (cy)

become worse

Catalan: empitjorar (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Finnish: kärsiä (fi)
French: souffrir (fr) de, pâtir (fr) de
Galician: empeorar (gl)
Greek: υποφέρω (el) (ypoféro)
Hungarian: megsínyli, kárát látja
Italian: aggravarsi (it)
Latin: aggravor
Norwegian: forverre
Portuguese: piorar (pt)
Russian: страда́ть (ru) impf (stradátʹ), пострада́ть (ru) pf (postradátʹ)
Spanish: empeorar (es)
Turkish: beter olmak
Welsh: dioddef (cy)

to endure, undergo — See also translations at endure

Arabic: عَانَى‎ (ʕānā)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 忍受 (zh) (rěnshòu)
Czech: trpět (cs)
Finnish: kestää (fi), kärsiä (fi)
French: endurer (fr), souffrir (fr), supporter (fr), subir (fr)
Galician: sufrir (gl)
German: erleiden (de)
Greek: υπομένω (el) (ypoméno), εγκαρτερώ (el) (egkarteró)

Ancient: πάσχω (páskhō)
Higaonon: antos
Hungarian: tűr (hu), eltűr (hu), visel (hu), elvisel (hu)
Italian: subire (it)
Japanese: 我慢する (ja) (がまんする, gaman suru)
Latin: patior (la)
Malayalam: സഹിക്കുക (ml) (sahikkuka)
Norwegian: lide (no)
Old English: þrōwian, āberan
Portuguese: sofrer (pt)
Russian: выде́рживать (ru) impf (vydérživatʹ), вы́держать (ru) pf (výderžatʹ), выноси́ть (ru) impf (vynosítʹ), вы́нести (ru) pf (výnesti), терпе́ть (ru) impf (terpétʹ), потерпе́ть (ru) pf (poterpétʹ)
Swahili: teseka (sw)

Anagrams[edit]

ruffes, suffre

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Rhymes: -ʏfər

Etymology 1[edit]

Adjective[edit]

suffer

Comparative form of suf

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

suffer m (plural suffers)

Alternative form of sufferd

Latin[edit]

Verb[edit]

suffer

second-person singular present active imperative of sufferō

Источник

Top Definitions
Synonyms
Quiz
Related Content
Examples
British
Idioms And Phrases

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

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)

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Which sentence is correct?

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

OTHER WORDS FROM suffer

suf·fer·a·ble, adjectivesuf·fer·a·ble·ness, nounsuf·fer·a·bly, adverbsuf·fer·er, noun

non·suf·fer·a·ble, adjectivenon·suf·fer·a·ble·ness, nounnon·suf·fer·a·bly, adverboutsuffer, verb (used with object)pre·suf·fer, verbun·suf·fer·a·ble, adjectiveun·suf·fer·a·ble·ness, nounun·suf·fer·a·bly, adverb

Words nearby suffer

Suez, Suez Canal, Suez Canal crisis, suf-, suff., suffer, sufferable, sufferance, suffer fools gladly, suffering, Suffern

Words related to suffer

deteriorate, endure, experience, get, go through, hurt, undergo, accept, bleed, encounter, feel, have, know, receive, see, support, sustain, take, ache, agonize

How to use suffer in a sentence

If we were to laugh, it would never be at the expense of anyone who was suffering.
I’ve suffered from lower-back problems for years, and I’m so tight that I scream out loud when I try to touch my toes.
Let’s say you’re suffering from deep depression, and you call a doctor’s office.
If you’re someone whose extremities suffer in the cold, think about investing in hand warmers.

We have been suffering a lot, so we need people to work with us, with our language translated for us.
I suffer from no delusion that the justice system treats black and white equally.
How does it happen that citizens of modest means suffer as public sector unions gain?
“One-third of South Asians and more than half of all Sub-Saharan Africans suffer from malnutrition or undernutrition,” he writes.
The birds are debeaked, suffer ulcers, and terrible feet conditions.
He was instructed several times to abuse the kids, he says, or he would suffer the abuse.
We suffer, nearly all of us, from a lack of quantitative grasp and from an imperfect grasp of form.
My mother opposed her vow to his; not to suffer her child to leave her, till the time of her being professed.
They will try to compel you to confession; and, though you are blameless, you will suffer the cruelest ordeal of transgression.
Is there any earthly father who would allow his children to suffer as God allows Man to suffer?
In that case, Valerie, you shall suffer no constraint; you shall continue here as you have done.

British Dictionary definitions for suffer

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

to be ill with, esp recurrently
to be given tohe suffers from a tendency to exaggerate

Derived forms of suffer

sufferer, noun

Word Origin for suffer

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

usage for suffer

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with suffer

see not suffer fools gladly.

Источник

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near suffer

Cite this Entry

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on suffer

suf·fer

suffer

suf•fer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

suffer

Look up suffer for the last time

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

Conjugation[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

Latin[edit]

Verb[edit]

Origin of suffer

OTHER WORDS FROM suffer

Words nearby suffer

Words related to suffer

How to use suffer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for suffer

Derived forms of suffer

Word Origin for suffer

usage for suffer

Other Idioms and Phrases with suffer