suffer

verb

1. 1

   To undergo hardship.

   Many artists suffer before becoming famous.

2. 2

   To feel pain.

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

3. 3

   To become worse.

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

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

4. 4

   To endure, undergo.

   I've been suffering your insults for years.

   We hope you never have to suffer the same pain.

   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.

   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.

5. 5

   archaicTo allow.

   Thou shalt not suffer a witch to liue.

   But Iesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come vnto me: for of such is þe kingdome of heauen.

   These constitute the important inflectional changes that have taken place in Modern English. There are other grammatical changes, mostly syntactical in their nature, into which the limits of this work do not suffer us to enter.

   "Employ" includes to suffer or permit to work.

Forms

past tense

suffered

past participle

suffered

present participle

suffering

third person singular

suffers