Suffer

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: suf=fer

CIDE DICTIONARY

Suffer, v. t. [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.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  To endure or undergo without sinking; to support; to sustain; to bear up under.  [1913 Webster]

  "Our spirit and strength entire,
  Strongly to suffer and support our pains."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  "If your more ponderous and settled project
  May suffer alteration."  [1913 Webster]
•  To allow; to permit; not to forbid or hinder; to tolerate.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him."  [1913 Webster]

  "I suffer them to enter and possess."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To permit; bear; endure; support; sustain; allow; admit; tolerate. See Permit.

Suffer, v. i. 

•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  "O well for him whose will is strong!
  He suffers, but he will not suffer long."  [1913 Webster]
•  To undergo punishment; specifically, to undergo the penalty of death.  [1913 Webster]

  "The father was first condemned to suffer upon a day appointed, and the son afterwards the day following."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be injured; to sustain loss or damage.  [1913 Webster]

  "Public business suffers by private infirmities."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Suffer, v.
1 intr. undergo pain, grief, damage, etc. (suffers acutely; your reputation will suffer; suffers from neglect).
2 tr. undergo, experience, or be subjected to (pain, loss, grief, defeat, change, etc.) (suffered banishment).
3 tr. put up with; tolerate (does not suffer fools gladly).
4 intr. undergo martyrdom.
5 intr. (usu. foll. by to + infin.) archaic allow.

Derivative

sufferable adj. sufferer n. suffering n.

Etymology

ME f. AF suffrir, soeffrir, OF sof(f)rir f. L sufferre (as SUB-, ferre bear)

THESAURUS

Suffer

abide, abide with, accept, ache, acquiesce, admit, agonize, ail, allow, anguish, be affected with, be doubly punished, be exposed to, be punished, be subjected to, bear, bear with, bide, blanch, bleed, blench, blink at, bow, brave, brook, catch it, complain of, condone, connive at, countenance, decline, deteriorate, diminish, encounter, endure, experience, fall off, feel, feel ill, feel pain, feel the pangs, get it, go down, go hard with, go through, grimace, grin and abide, hang in, hang in there, hang tough, have, have a misery, hear of, humor, hurt, indulge, know, labor under, leave, let, live through, lump, lump it, meet, meet up with, meet with, overlook, pain, pass through, pay, permit, persevere, pound, put up with, receive, run up against, see, shoot, shrink, smart, spend, stand, stand for, stand under, stick, stomach, submit, submit to, suffer anguish, suffer for, suffer the consequences, support, sustain, swallow, sweat, take, take up with, taste, thrill, throb, tingle, tolerate, twinge, twitch, undergo, wince, wink at, withstand, writhe, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

Suffer

Disease

VB V, be ill, ail, suffer, labor under, be affected with, complain of, have, droop, flag, languish, halt, sicken, peak, pine, gasp, keep one's bed, feign sickness, lay by, lay up, take a disease, catch a disease, catch an infection, break out.

Permission

VB permit, give permission, give power, let, allow, admit, suffer, bear with, tolerate, recognize, concede, accord, vouchsafe, favor, humor, gratify, indulge, stretch a point, wink at, connive at, shut one's eyes to, grant, empower, charter, enfranchise, privilege, confer a privilege, license, authorize, warrant, sanction, intrust, give carte blanche, give the reins to, give scope to, leave alone, leave it to one, leave the door open, open the door to, open the flood gates, give a loose to, let off, absolve, release, exonerate, dispense with, ask permission, beg permission, request permission, ask leave, beg leave, request leave.

Eventuality

VB happen, occur, take place, take effect, come, become of, come off, comeabout, come round, come into existence, come forth, come to pass, come on, pass, present itself, fall, fall out, turn out, run, be on foot, fall in, befall, betide, bechance, prove, eventuate, draw on, turn up, crop up, spring up, pop up, arise, show up, show its face, appear, come forth, cast up, supervene, survene, issue, arrive, ensue, arise, start, hold, take its course, pass off, meet with, experience, enjoy, encounter, undergo, suffer, pass through, go through, be subjected to, be exposed to, fall to the lot of, be one's chance, be one's fortune, be one's lot, find, endure.

Feeling

VB feel, receive an impression, be impressed with, entertain feeling, harbor feeling, cherish feeling, respond, catch the flame, catch the infection, enter the spirit of, bear, suffer, support, sustain, endure, thole, aby, abide, experience, taste, prove, labor under, smart under, bear the brunt of, brave, stand, swell, glow, warm, flush, blush, change color, mantle, turn color, turn pale, turn red, turn black in the face, tingle, thrill, heave, pant, throb, palpitate, go pitapat, tremble, quiver, flutter, twitter, shake, be agitated, be excited, look blue, look black, wince, draw a deep breath, impress.

Punishment

VB punish, chastise, chasten, castigate, correct, inflict punishment, administer correction, deal retributive justice, cowhide, lambaste, visit upon, pay, pay out, serve out, do for, make short work of, give a lesson to, serve one right, make an example of, have a rod in pickle for, give it one, strike, deal a blow to, administer the lash, smite, slap, slap the face, smack, cuff, box the ears, spank, thwack, thump, beat, lay on, swinge, buffet, thresh, thrash, pummel, drub, leather, trounce, sandbag, baste, belabor, lace, lace one's jacket, dress, dress down, give a dressing, trim, warm, wipe, tund, cob, bang, strap, comb, lash, lick, larrup, wallop, whop, flog, scourge, whip, birch, cane, give the stick, switch, flagellate, horsewhip, bastinado, towel, rub down with an oaken towel, rib roast, dust one's jacket, fustigate, pitch into, lay about one, beat black and blue, beat to a mummy, beat to a jelly, give a black eye, tar and feather, pelt, stone, lapidate, masthead, keelhaul, execute, bring to the block, bring to the gallows, behead, decapitate, guillotine, decollate, hang, turn off, gibbet, bowstring, hang draw and quarter, shoot, decimate, burn, break on the wheel, crucify, empale, impale, flay, lynch, electrocute, gas, send to the gas chamber, torture, put on, put to the rack, picket, banish, exile, transport, expel, ostracize, rusticate, drum out, dismiss, disbar, disbench, strike off the roll, unfrock, post, suffer, suffer for, suffer punishment, be flogged, be executed, suffer the ultimate penalty, be hanged, come to the gallows, mount the gallows, swing, twist in the wind, dance upon nothing, die in one's shoes, be rightly served, be electrocuted, fry, ride the lightning, face the firing squad.

Inexcitability

VB be composed, laisser faire, laisser aller, take things easily, take things as they come, take it easy, rub on, live and let live, take easily, take cooly, take in good part, aequam servare mentem, bear the brunt, bear well, go through, support, endure, brave, disregard, tolerate, suffer, stand, bide, abide, aby, bear with, put up with, take up with, abide with, acquiesce, submit, submit with a good grace, resign oneself to, reconcile oneself to, brook, digest, eat, swallow, pocket, stomach, make light of, make the best of, make 'a virtue of necessity', put a good face on, keep one's countenance, check, check oneself, compose, appease (moderate), propitiate, repress, render insensible, overcome one's excitability, allay one's excitability, repress one's excitability, master one's feelings, make oneself easy, make one's mind easy, set one's mind at ease, set one's mind at rest, calm down, cool down, gentle, thaw, grow cool, be borne, be endured, go down.

Pain

VB feel pain, suffer pain, experience pain, undergo pain, bear pain, endure pain, smart, ache, suffer, bleed, ail, be the victim of, labor under afflictions, bear the cross, quaff the bitter cup, have a bad time of it, fall on evil days, go hard with, come to grief, fall a sacrifice to, drain the cup of misery to the dregs, sup full of horrors, sit on thorns, be on pins and needles, wince, fret, chafe, worry oneself, be in a taking, fret and fume, take on, take to heart, cark, grieve, mourn, yearn, repine, pine, droop, languish, sink, give way, despair, break one's heart, weigh upon the heart.

Physical Pain

VB feel pain, experience pain, suffer pain, undergo pain, suffer, ache, smart, bleed, tingle, shoot, twinge, twitch, lancinate, writhe, wince, make a wry face, sit on thorns, sit on pins and needles, give pain, inflict pain, lacerate, pain, hurt, chafe, sting, bite, gnaw, gripe, pinch, tweak, grate, gall, fret, prick, pierce, wring, convulse, torment, torture, rack, agonize, crucify, cruciate, excruciate, break on the wheel, put to the rack, flog, grate on the ear.