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

Adam was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury, according to KCAL and CW affiliate KTLA. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024

The researchers say their findings show that the approach has great promise as a non-invasive treatment for patients with cognitive impairment following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or due to dementia. —New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2024

One year after Army reservist Robert Card fatally shot 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston, Maine, his family members are working to bring awareness to traumatic brain injuries. —Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 24 Oct. 2024

For example, people who have bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, traumatic brain injury, or substance use disorder may experience delusions of grandeur.1 What triggers grandiosity? —Sherri Gordon, Health, 17 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