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

John Force has made a return to the track following a severe crash in 2024 that left him with a traumatic brain injury. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Medical history: Certain health conditions, including Parkinson's disease, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acne, obesity, stroke, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), can trigger excess oil production and lead to wet dandruff. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 5 Feb. 2025

He was left with bullet fragments in his head, a traumatic brain injury, profound short-term and long-term memory loss. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025

After a desperate attempt to save his friend, Dr. Watson awakens from a coma, suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 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