bear the brunt

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]

Example Sentences

“Ordinary Jewish and Israeli people, not soldiers and politicians, are going to bear the brunt of that for years to come,” said Mairav Zonszein, senior Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They appear to believe Democrats, as the side making demands in exchange for keeping the government open, will bear the brunt of the public's blame – as they have in some past shutdowns.

Read more on BBC

"That failure in communication apparently is not their fault and I have to bear the brunt of that as a parent, which is £818 this year."

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As long as the national conversation remains focused on trans scapegoats rather than real solutions, gun violence will continue to be a uniquely American sickness — and the trans community will continue to bear the brunt of unwarranted hate simply for existing.

Read more on Salon

H Dock was designed to bear the brunt of storms, with closely-spaced pilings designed to absorb and dissipate energy before it reached interior docks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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