suffer
VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (8)suffers, suffered, suffering
- undergo or be subjected to“He suffered the penalty”“Many saints suffered martyrdom”Synonyms: endureMore general experience, seeMore specific die, tolerate
- 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”Synonyms: sustainhavegetMore general experience, receiveMore specific break down, crack up, stress, crampSimilar have
- 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”Synonyms: digestendurestick outstomachbearstandtoleratesupportbrookabideput upMore general permit, allowMore specific stand for, accept, bear up, pay, sit out, take a joke, take lying downSimilar hurt, ache
- get worse in quality“His grades suffered”More general worsen, declineSimilar lose
- be in painSynonyms: hurtacheMore general feel, experienceMore specific have, lose, starve, freeze, grieve, prick, gag, anguish, kill, swelter +4 moreSimilar digest, endure
- be given to“She suffers from a tendency to talk too much”More general tend, be given
- undergo or suffer“meet a violent death”“suffer a terrible fate”Synonyms: meet
- be set at a disadvantage“This author really suffers in translation”“The painting loses something in this light”Synonyms: lose
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb undergo hardship
- Spanish
- sufrir
- French
- souffrir
- German
- leiden
- Italian
- soffrire
- Portuguese
- sofrer
- Russian
- страда́ть stradátʹ
- Arabic
- عَانَى ʕānā
- Chinese
- 遭受 zāoshòu
- Japanese
- 苦しむ kurushimu
- Dutch
- lijden
20 more languages
- Polish
- cierpieć
- Swedish
- lida
- Greek
- υποφέρω ypoféro
- Korean
- 시달리다 sidallida
- Hungarian
- szenved
- Portuguese (PT)
- sofrer
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 受苦 shòukǔ
- Albanian
- vuaj
- Catalan
- patir
- Czech
- trpět
- Danish
- lide
- Esperanto
- suferi
- Finnish
- kärsiä
- Hebrew
- סבל saval
- Lithuanian
- kęsti
- Norwegian
- lide
- Romanian
- suferi
- Scottish Gaelic
- fulaing
- Serbo-Croatian
- patiti
- Slovenian
- trpeti
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. suffren, soffren, OF. sufrir, sofrir, F. souffrir, (assumed) LL. sofferire, for L. sufferre; sub under + ferre to bear, akin to E. bear. See Bear to support.
1. 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.
2. To endure or undergo without sinking; to support; to sustain; to bear up under.
Our spirit and strength entire, Strongly to suffer and support our pains.— John Milton
3. 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.
If your more ponderous and settled project May suffer alteration.— William Shakespeare
4. To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder; to tolerate.
Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.— Lev. xix. 17.
I suffer them to enter and possess.— John Milton
Synonyms: To permit; bear; endure; support; sustain; allow; admit; tolerate. See Permit.
1. 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.
O well for him whose will is strong! He suffers, but he will not suffer long.— Alfred Tennyson
2. To undergo punishment; specifically, to undergo the penalty of death.
The father was first condemned to suffer upon a day appointed, and the son afterwards the day following.— Edward Hyde, first earl of Clarendon
3. To be injured; to sustain loss or damage.
Public business suffers by private infirmities.— Sir William Temple
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54