Meaning & use
suffered an injury
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“suffered an injury” is a form of “suffer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
was hurt physically, especially in an accident or during sport.
Grammar: The subject is the injured person, and injury is usually singular with a/an: She suffered an injury to her knee.
Patterns
- suffer an injury to something
- suffer a serious/minor injury
The goalkeeper suffered an injury in the first half and had to come off.
Several passengers suffered minor injuries when the bus braked suddenly.
He suffered an injury to his shoulder while lifting weights.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
was damaged or harmed in a way that is not physical, such as in reputation or business.
Grammar: Used with abstract nouns like blow, setback, or loss rather than injury: The company suffered a blow.
Patterns
- suffer a blow/setback/loss
The team's reputation suffered a serious injury after the scandal.
Her career suffered an injury that took years to repair.
Common combinations
- suffer a serious injury
- The cyclist suffered a serious injury and was taken to hospital.
- suffer an injury to your knee/back
- She suffered an injury to her back that ended her season.
- suffer injuries in an accident
- Two workers suffered injuries in the accident at the plant.
- suffer a minor injury
- Luckily, he only suffered a minor injury.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be injured
- This is more neutral and common in headlines: Three people were injured. Use it when you do not need to say who caused the harm.
- be hurt
- Hurt is less formal and often suggests pain rather than a diagnosed injury.
- sustain an injury
- Sustain is formal and typical in medical or official reports; it fits official writing better than everyday speech.
Word family
Commonly confused: suffered an injury or sustain an injury?
suffered an injury vs sustain an injury
Sustain is the formal partner of injury; suffered is more general and can also be used for emotional harm.
Practice
The player ___ an injury during the warm-up and could not play.
Choose one answer.
"Suffered an injury" is the fixed phrase with a direct object. "Suffered from" needs an illness or condition (suffered from a cold), "was suffered" is not used in this active sense, and "suffering" would need an auxiliary like was.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “suffered an injury”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.