bear the brunt

Idioms  

1. Put up with the worst of some bad circumstance, as in It was the secretary who had to bear the brunt of the doctor's anger. This idiom uses brunt in the sense of “the main force of an enemy's attack,” which was sustained by the front lines of the defenders. [Second half of 1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bear the brunt

But many small and medium-size Canadian business owners are expected to bear the brunt of the pain, and some fear they could be put out of business without a resolution to the trade spat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

He noted that the new corridor will also mean cleaner air for communities near the port and along the route, which bear the brunt of their pollution.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Scotland is expected to bear the brunt of the rainfall once again, with prolonged heavy rain raising the risk of localised surface water flooding.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

The U.K. is dealing with surging energy costs and businesses are going to potentially bear the brunt of it—concerns that the Bank of England acknowledged at its previous meeting in April External link.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

He couldn’t leave his siblings and his mother behind to bear the brunt of “Reverend Rambo,” as he and his sisters jokingly called him.

From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley

Related Words

• brave
• encounter
• experience
• face
• feel
• go through
• know
• ride out
• suffer
• sustain
• tolerate
• undergo
• weather
• withstand