can't stand

Idioms  

1. Also,. Thoroughly dislike; be unable to put up with something or someone. For example, I can't stand the sight of her; she's obnoxious, or I can't bear to leave the country, or I can't stomach a filthy kitchen. The oldest of these synonymous expressions is can't abide, which Shakespeare used in 2 Henry IV (3:2): “She could not abide Master Shallow.” Can't stand dates from the early 1600; can't bear dates from about 1700 and often but not always is used with an infinitive; can't stomach dates from the late 1600s and today is less common than the others.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

can't stand

This was a rare appearance for the first lady, who many assume can’t stand her husband.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

“I can’t stand it to think my life is going so fast and I’m not really living it,” he tells Jake early in the novel, before the fiesta, before a lot of things.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"He can't stand not being the center of attention. So this may spark him to be even more aggressive," Lichtman told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

"He can't stand the people who don't admire him," Stupak said.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

"Get it away from me. I can't stand cats!"

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

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Related Words

• abhor
• despise
• detest
• loathe
• scorn
• shun

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