traumatic brain injury
noun
: an acquired brain injury caused by external force (such as a blow to the head sustained in a motor vehicle accident or fall or shrapnel or a bullet entering through the skull)
Traumatic brain injury occurs when the shock from an explosion damages neurological fibers. Soldiers may survive a blast with scarcely a cut, only to find over time that they suffer coordination and memory loss, dizziness, insomnia.—
Nancy Gibbs
Nancy GibbsAn unprotected fall, especially if the player is unconscious or his opponent lands on top of him, can result in severe traumatic brain injury.—Michael J. Stuart et al.
Michael J. Stuart et al.Examples of traumatic brain injury in a Sentence
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In 2017, the Miami native opened Alexia + Frankie’s nail salon in Surfside with her younger son who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident in 2011 at age 13.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
An unlikely duo in the state decided to join forces last year after judges began releasing potentially dangerous defendants suffering from mental health disorders, intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injuries with no supervision or treatment.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Van Tine suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent four months in a coma.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
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Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Curry’s body began convulsing and twitching with increasing severity, consistent with him sustaining a traumatic brain injury from being punched in the face, documents state.
—Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
An unlikely duo in the state decided to join forces last year after judges began releasing potentially dangerous defendants suffering from mental health disorders, intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injuries with no supervision or treatment.
—Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Van Tine suffered a traumatic brain injury and spent four months in a coma.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traumatic brain injury
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic brain injury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traumatic%20brain%20injury. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
traumatic brain injury
noun
: an acquired brain injury caused by external force (as a blow to the head sustained in a motor vehicle accident or fall or shrapnel or a bullet entering through the skull)
A soldier—or a civilian—can survive the blast without a single penetrating wound and still receive the worst diagnosis: traumatic brain injury, or TBI, the signature injury of the Iraq War.—Michael Mason, Discover
Michael Mason, DiscoverAn unprotected fall, especially if the player is unconscious or his opponent lands on top of him, can result in severe traumatic brain injury.—Michael J. Stuart et al., USA Today
Michael J. Stuart et al., USA TodayLove words? Need even more definitions?
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