Synonyms

tolerate

American

[tol-uh-reyt] / ˈtɒl əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

to allow the existence, presence, practice, or act of without prohibition or hindrance; permit.
to endure without repugnance; put up with.

I can tolerate laziness, but not incompetence.

Synonyms:

accept, support
Medicine/Medical. to endure or resist the action of (a drug, poison, etc.).
Obsolete. to experience, undergo, or sustain, as pain or hardship.

tolerate British

/ ˈtɒləˌreɪt /

verb

to treat with indulgence, liberality, or forbearance
to permit
to be able to bear; put up with
med to have tolerance for (a drug, poison, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of tolerate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin tolerātus “borne,” past participle of tolerāre “to bear”; akin to thole ²

Explanation

The verb tolerate means "to put up with or allow." You can tolerate your sister's love of Broadway musicals but really, you prefer dramas. Think of tolerate as the open-minded verb. It means you allow something to happen or exist, even if you don't really like it. For example, you don't like your neighbor's loud music but you tolerate because he only blasts it on Saturday afternoons. Scientifically speaking, when your body can tolerate a drug, poison or even pollution, it means you aren't harmed by it.

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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.

See Examples For:

tolerate tolerates tolerated tolerating

So it can land a little bit softer, and people can tolerate a little bit more.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

If they don’t, then the child doesn’t gain the independence or ability to tolerate frustration that they’ll need in life.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

It gave Infantino the chance to bite back, saying Fifa would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

By the time individual investors get access, the story has been polished, excitement is peaking, and the private market valuation has been pushed far higher than what the public market will tolerate.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

If you can overlook and tolerate some obvious distress and complete the lesson, the child will have experienced the entire routine and established it mentally.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Justice John Marshall Harlan was the only dissenter: “Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Building a resilient portfolio that tolerates inflation is a good start.

From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026

“We are not a nation that tramples the 4th Amendment and tolerates our neighbors being terrorized,” he said.

From Salon ● Jan. 29, 2026

In Hecox, it may resolve the case on mootness grounds or reaffirm that intermediate scrutiny tolerates generalizations even when they imperfectly fit at the margins.

From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2026

The subsidiary reason is that the Party member, like the proletarian, tolerates present-day conditions partly because he has no standards of comparison.

From "1984" by George Orwell

The channels are tolerated by authorities but operate in a legal grey area as they use information from air force contacts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The mayor has said that antisemitism will never be tolerated in New York City and that he is mayor for all New Yorkers, including members of the Jewish communities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nacua isn’t tolerated for his talent; he’s adored for his spirit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

"Any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

It was only half a lie; Lord Tywin Lannister cared not a fig for his deformed son, but he tolerated no slights on the honor of his House.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

But just remember, tolerating a little heat is always part of owning stocks.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Executives were presented with a menu of options ranging from temporary shutdowns for repairs while essentially tolerating ongoing oil theft, to halting production for years to fully tackle the problem.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

In a nation fed up with leaders seen as tolerating or colluding with organized crime, Manzo, 40, stood out.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Mohammad Ali Kadivar, an Iranian associate professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College, said these two camps appear to be tolerating each other as they face a shared opponent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026

Did she want me to hold her that way, or was she merely tolerating it?

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023