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

However, her 2-year-old daughter sustained critical injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, and was hospitalized for over a month, according to charges. —Riley Moser, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025

It has been used to treat a number of conditions including anxiety, depression, ADHD, and traumatic brain injury, according to Pillar Medical Clinic. —Caché McClay, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025

Current research indicates that more than 75% of domestic violence survivors suffer one or more traumatic brain injuries. —Javier Cárdenas, Fortune, 12 Dec. 2025

Within approximately 30 hours of injury, children with traumatic brain injury had lower levels DNA methylation than children without brain injury. —Amery Treble-Barna, The Conversation, 9 Dec. 2025

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