suffer

What it means

1. intransitiveTo undergo hardship.

   Many artists suffer before becoming famous.

2. intransitiveTo feel pain.

   At least he didn't suffer when he died in the car crash.

   Synonyms: agonize, anguish, thole

3. intransitiveTo become worse.

   If you keep partying like this, your school-work will suffer.

   1 more example

   Our correspondent found that timekeeping had suffered following the substitution of Class 5 4-6-0s on these workings.

   1961 October, “Motive Power Miscellany: Scottish Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 638

   Synonyms: deteriorate, worsen, atrophy, break down, crack, decline, deteriorate, degenerate

In a sentence

Many artists suffer before becoming famous.

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
2. Proto-Italic*supo
3. Latinsub
4. Latinsub-
5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
7. Proto-Italic*ferō
8. Latinferō
9. Latinsuffero
10. Latinsufferre
11. Vulgar Latin*sufferīre
12. Old Frenchsuffrir
13. Middle Englishsuffren
14. Englishsuffer

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