Which prepositions are used with Suffer in English? All the knowledge about Suffer in English

Content publishing rules

Suffer is a common verb in English that is often used to express "to experience physical or mental pain". However, when combined with different prepositions, Suffer in English creates different meanings and usages. In today's article, PREP will help you understand "What is Suffer in English?" and "Which prepositions are used with Suffer in English?" along with other related knowledge. Let's dive into the article below!

I. What is Suffer in English?
II. Usage of Suffer in English
III. Prepositions used with Suffer in English
IV. Exercises on Suffer in English
1. 1. Exercises
2. 2. Answer
V. Master IELTS Like a Pro

I. What is Suffer in English?

Before exploring the prepositions used with Suffer in English, let's first understand the meaning of Suffer, its synonyms, collocations, and idioms. Check them out below!

1. Definition

In English, Suffer is pronounced /ˈsʌf.ɚ/ and functions as a verb, meaning: to experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant). For example:

I think John suffered a lot when his wife left him.
Anna suffers in the winter when it's cold and her joints get stiff.

2. Synonyms of Suffer in English

Before delving into the prepositions used with Suffer, let's gather some synonyms of Suffer in English!

Synonyms of Suffer in English	Example
Bear /ber/	Anna bears the weight of her family's expectations on her shoulders.
Endure /ɪnˈdjʊər/	Anna endured years of hip pain before seeing a surgeon.
Accept /əkˈsept/	I have finally accepted that I can't change who he is.
Resign yourself to /rɪˈzaɪn jɔːrˈself tuː/	I have resigned myself to the fact that I'll never work again.
Become resigned to /bɪˈkʌm rɪˈzaɪnd tuː/	People have become resigned to the fact that increased security means much longer wait times at airports.
Reconcile yourself to /ˈrekənsaɪl jɔːrˈself tuː/	Jack reconciled himself to the fact that he will never be an excellent cook.
Tolerate /ˈtɒləreɪt/	I can tolerate Maria's selfishness, but not her bad moods.
Face /feɪs/	I’ll just have to face the fact that I'm losing my hair.
Embrace /ɪmˈbreɪs/	Sarah embraced her hardships without complaint.

3. Collocations and idioms with Suffer in English

Before exploring the prepositions used with Suffer in English, let's take a look at some collocations and idioms containing Suffer!

Collocations and idioms with Suffer in English	Meaning	Example
Not suffer fools gladly	be impatient or intolerant toward people one regards as foolish or unintelligent.	Lisa doesn't suffer fools gladly and, in her view, most people are fools.
Suffer under the lash	to be severely criticized	The sales team suffered under the lash for poor results.
Suffer the consequences	to accept and deal with the results of a particular action or situation, often ones that are bad or not convenient	If you're not going hard, you gotta suffer the consequences.
Suffer defeat	to accept failure	The team suffered defeat at the hands of their oldest rivals.
Suffer loss/damage/injury	to experience loss/damage/injury	The priority seems to be that no creditors suffer any loss.

II. Usage of Suffer in English

Let's explore the usage of Suffer in English with PREP!

Usage of Suffer in English	Example
Experiencing physical or mental pain	Peter's suffering a lot of pain.
Being afflicted with an illness for an extended period of time	Craig suffers from a rare bone disease.
Being in a difficult situation	London employers were suffering from a desperate shortage of school-leavers.
Becoming worse due to a bad situation	Due to the outbreak of the disease, my work is beginning to suffer.

III. Prepositions used with Suffer in English

Let's find out "Which prepositions are used with Suffer in English?" in the table below with PREP!

What preposition does Suffer in English go with?	Meaning	Example
Suffer + From	Expressing the endurance of someone who has to undergo pain caused by illness (both physical and mental).	Mary suffers from the flu in the winter.
Suffer + For	Used when you want to indicate that the subject has to endure suffering as a result of being punished by someone or paying the price for something they have done. Additionally, "suffer for" can also be understood as sympathizing or empathizing with someone when you see them facing difficulties.	John made a wrong decision and now he is suffering for it. I suffer for you because of what you're going through.
Suffer + With	Rarely used, used to talk about a general or speculative issue that is not certain; or together with someone enduring difficulties for an extended period of time.	I rarely suffer with the kinds of problems that my coworkers get. Anna suffered with her kids during 3 months of cold winter.

IV. Exercises on Suffer in English

To gain a better understanding of the meaning and prepositions used with Suffer in English, let's complete the following exercises with PREP!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the appropriate prepositions

I suffer _______ my own sins.
Mona suffers _______ cold weather when her joints get stiff.
My grandmother suffers _______ asthma.
Richard still is happy though he is suffering _______ cancer.
My sister suffered _______ me when I met this problem.

Exercise 2: Find and correct the errors in the sentences below

My grandfather suffers of diabetes.
They have had to suffer by their fault.
Robert suffered bad from a heart attack.
The lead actor had to suffer for his art by lose 10kg for the role.
My dad was a man who did not like fools gladly.

2. Answer

Exercise 1	1. From	2. From	3. From	4. From	5. With
Exercise 2	1. suffers of ➞ suffers from	2. suffer by ➞ suffer because of	3. suffered bad ➞ suffered badly	4. lose ➞ losing	5. like ➞ suffer

V. Master IELTS Like a Pro

PREP hopes that through this article, you have understood "What is Suffer in English?", "Which prepositions are used with Suffer in English?" as well as the usage, synonyms, collocations, and idioms used with Suffer in English. If you want to master the IELTS exam, PREP’s proven strategies will give you the confidence to succeed

IELTS learning online: Master IELTS With Us!

Chloe

Product Content Admin

Hi I'm Chloe, and I am currently serving as an Product Content Administrator at Prep Education. With over five years of experience in independent online IELTS study and exam preparation, I am confident in my ability to support learners in achieving their highest possible scores.