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

An 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.

broadly : acquired brain injury

—abbreviation TBI

Examples of traumatic brain injury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Herling stressed that her brother's traumatic brain injury findings don't fully explain his actions and that a brain injury doesn't mean someone is more likely to commit such violence. —Brenda Breslauer, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024

Erin Smith, whose husband Jeff Smith suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fracture while repelling the rioters, said Dana Bell, 66, contributed to her husband's attack. —Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2024

Iran responded with missile strikes on two U.S. bases in Iraq, wounding 100 U.S. troops, including 34 who were diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024

Alzheimer’s, stroke, traumatic brain injury and similar conditions can lead to executive dysfunction. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Medical 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

An 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

broadly : acquired brain injury

—abbreviation TBI