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

They write in a note that housing and consumption will bear the brunt of a slowdown in growth to 1.2% by the end of the year, from 2.6% in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

“This dynamic also means we expect to see consumer sentiment continue to grind lower, as middle- and lower-income households bear the brunt of inflation’s impact on their household budgets.”

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

“We bear the brunt of everything. This is really a layered tsunami of hurt.”

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026

Families of those with dementia "bear the brunt" with little information or support, and people diagnosed with MND, whose life-expectancy is short, still face multiple assessments and means tests.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

Now Margot will have to bear the brunt of it.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Related Words

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