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

Disorders of the central nervous system that impact the hypothalamus, like stroke, traumatic brain injury, or multiple sclerosis, might lead to hypo- or hyperthermia. —Ruth Jessen Hickman, Md, Verywell Health, 15 Jan. 2025

Hospital records said the woman suffered a traumatic brain injury, bruises to her knee, lower leg and shoulders and lost consciousness, the affidavit said. —Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025

At the Virginia Nationals, his engine exploded while racing at around 300 mph, resulting in significant injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. —John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025

In one appalling case, a female volleyball player suffered a traumatic brain injury after a ball was spiked at her by a person who identified as a trans woman. —Kathy Szeliga, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 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