endurance
Americannoun
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the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.
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the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.
He has amazing physical endurance.
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lasting quality; duration.
His friendships have little endurance.
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something endured, as a hardship; trial.
noun
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the capacity, state, or an instance of enduring
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something endured; a hardship, strain, or privation
Synonym Usage
See patience.
Etymology
Origin of endurance
Explanation
Endurance is the power to withstand something challenging. If you decide to run a marathon, you will need lots of endurance to run over 26 miles. The noun endurance contains endure, which means "to suffer or undergo" and the suffix -ance means "the state of." It can be used to describe the physical strength to keep going, as in a marathon or giving birth, but it can also be used when discussing an exhausting mental situation or stressful time — the endurance to bounce back from heartbreak, perhaps.
Vocabulary lists containing endurance
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Excerpt from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some describe the day as one they move through rather than move past, marking it with rituals of remembrance that reflect both loss and endurance.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
When researchers block the protein, older animals gain muscle mass and endurance.
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
The award "acknowledges the sacrifice and endurance of local Palestinian media professionals living and working in a war zone," said WAN-IFRA, which holds its 2026 World News Media Congress from Monday to Wednesday.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
The exoskeleton made me feel like I had infinite endurance so I kept going, and my other muscles paid the price.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
The tournament became a test of endurance and stamina.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
