suffers from

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   has a particular illness or health condition, usually over a long period.

   Grammar: Subject is he, she, it, or a singular noun: My brother suffers from allergies.

   Patterns

   • suffer from a condition
   • suffer from something badly

   My brother suffers from terrible allergies in spring.

   About one in ten adults suffers from this condition.

   She suffers from migraines that can last for days.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   is badly affected by a problem or difficulty.

   Grammar: The subject can be a person, place, or organization: The town suffers from traffic problems.

   Patterns

   • suffer from a problem
   • suffer from lack of something

   The region suffers from high unemployment.

   His writing suffers from a lack of clear structure.

   The old bridge suffers from years of neglect.

Common combinations

suffers from a disease

He suffers from a rare disease that affects his muscles.

suffers from asthma

She suffers from asthma and carries an inhaler.

suffers from the effects of something

The economy still suffers from the effects of the crisis.

suffers from a lack of something

The team suffers from a lack of confidence.

Synonyms and how they differ

has

Has is neutral and simply states the condition; suffers from adds the idea of ongoing difficulty.

is affected by

This is more formal and can be used for places or systems as well as people.

Word family

suffer verb

to experience pain or something unpleasant.

suffering noun

great pain or hardship.

sufferer noun

someone who has a particular illness or problem.

Commonly confused: suffers from or suffered from?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “suffers from”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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