Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
suf·fer
\\ˈsə-fər\\ verb
(suf·fered ; suf·fer·ing \\-f(ə-)riŋ\\) ETYMOLOGY Middle English suffren, from Anglo-French suffrir, from Vulgar Latin *sufferire, from Latin sufferre, from sub- up + ferre to bear — more at sub-
, bear
DATE 13th century
transitive verb1.
a. to submit to or be forced to endure
suffer martyrdom
b. to feel keenly : labor under
suffer thirst2. undergo
, experience
3. to put up with especially as inevitable or unavoidable4. to allow especially by reason of indifference
the eagle suffers little birds to sing — Shakespeareintransitive verb1. to endure death, pain, or distress2. to sustain loss or damage3. to be subject to disability or handicapSynonyms: see bear
•
suf·fer·able \\ˈsə-f(ə-)rə-bəl\\
adjective
•
suf·fer·able·ness noun
•
suf·fer·ably \\-blē\\
adverb
•
suf·fer·er \\ˈsə-fər-ər\\
noun suffer
early 13c., "to undergo, endure" (pain, death, punishment, judgment, grief), from Anglo-Fr. suffrir, from O.Fr. sufrir, from V.L. *sufferire, variant of L. sufferre "to bear, undergo, endure, carry or put under," from sub "up, under" + ferre "to carry" (see infer). Replaced O.E. þolian, þrowian. Meaning "to tolerate, allow" is recorded from late 13c.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7
☞ suffer
suf·fer / 5sQfE(r) / verb1. [V] ~ (from sth) | ~ (for sth) to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of sth, etc.
(因疾病、痛苦、悲伤等)受苦,受难,受折磨:
I hate to see animals suffering.
我不忍心看动物受苦。
He suffers from asthma.
他患有哮喘。
road accident victims suffering from shock
在交通事故中受到惊吓的受害者
Many companies are suffering from a shortage of skilled staff.
许多公司苦于缺乏熟练员工。
He made a rash decision and now he is suffering for it.
他当初草率决定,现在吃苦头了。
2. [VN] to experience sth unpleasant, such as injury, defeat or loss
遭受；蒙受:
He suffered a massive heart attack.
他的心脏病发作很严重。
The party suffered a humiliating defeat in the general election.
该党在大选中惨败。
The company suffered huge losses in the last financial year.
公司在上一财政年度出现巨额亏损。
3. [V] to become worse
变差；变糟:
His school work is suffering because of family problems.
由于家庭问题,他的学业日渐退步。
IDIOMS
▪ not suffer fools 'gladly
to have very little patience with people that you think are stupid
不愿迁就笨人；不能容忍愚蠢者
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English
Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishsuffer
verb
ADV. a lot, badly, greatly, severely, terribly This area suffered very badly in the storms. | needlessly Thousands of children in the world today suffer needlessly.
VERB + SUFFER be likely to Premature babies are more likely to suffer from breathing difficulties in childhood.
PREP. for I played tennis yesterday and I know I shall suffer for it today. | from She suffers from asthma. | with He suffers terribly with migraines.
PHRASES suffer in silence They were just expected to suffer in silence.
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged
suf·fer
\ˈsəfə(r)\
verb
(
suffered ;
suffered ;
suffering \-f(ə)riŋ\ ;
suffers)
Etymology: Middle English
soffren, suffren, sufferen, from Old French
soffrir, souffrir, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin
sufferire, from Latin
sufferre to bear up, endure, suffer, from
sub- up +
ferre to bear — more at
sub-
,
bear
transitive verb1. : to submit to or be forced to endure the infliction, imposition, or penalty of
: bear as a victim
< suffer martyrdom >
< suffer a year's imprisonment >: to be subjected to physical or mental pain because of
: endure with distress
< suffer thirst >
< suffer insults >: to feel keenly or acutely
< suffer pain of body >
< suffer grief of mind >: labor under
< the greatest handicap which our side suffers in entering the political conference — Willson Woodside >2. : to go or pass through (as harm or loss)
: undergo
< most or all genes suffer mutational changes from time to time — Theodosius Dobzhansky >: experience
< the company suffered a 35 drop in sales the first quarter V — Wall Street Journal >: sustain
< records that had suffered damage during storage >3. : to endure or undergo without sinking
: have power to resist or sustain
: to bear up under
: support
< suffer through half an hour of standing in line for the sake of a five-minute ride >
— used chiefly in negative statements
< shrubs that cannot suffer a cold winter >
< never able to suffer the slightest pain >4.
a. : not to forbid or hinder
: allow
,
permit
< in later years suffered his beard to grow long — K.W.Colgrove >
b. : to put up with
: tolerate
< too proud of its revolutionary tradition to suffer dictatorship gladly — W.L.Burn >5. chiefly dialect : to cause pain or suffering to
intransitive verb1. : to submit to or endure death, affliction, penalty, or pain or distress
< contracted rheumatoid arthritis and suffered intensely >
< make him suffer for his mistake >sometimes : to endure such willingly or patiently
< martyrs who suffered for Christ's sake >2. : to be the one acted upon as distinguished from the one acting
< matter cannot act — it can only suffer >3. : to sustain loss or damage
< business suffers greatly from a long-continued depression >4.
a. : to be in a state of disability (as from ill health, anxiety, error)
: be subject to something disabling
< too many of them suffer from nervous or heart disabilities — H.W.Baldwin >
< suffers from the fallacy of supposing that everyone feels as he does >
b. : to be at a disadvantage
: labor under a handicap
< for years the school had suffered from lack of funds — American Guide Series: Michigan >
< the story suffers by comparison with the shorter ones — Louise Anderson >
< the men … suffered from no lack of self-esteem — Van Wyck Brooks > Synonyms: see bear
,
experience
,
let