brunt

American  

[bruhnt] / brʌnt /

noun

1. the main force or impact, as of an attack or blow.

   His arm took the brunt of the blow.

   Synonyms:

   burden, stress, thrust

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brunt British  

/ brʌnt /

noun

1. the main force or shock of a blow, attack, etc (esp in the phrase bear the brunt of )

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brunt Idioms  

1. see bear the brunt.

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Etymology

Origin of brunt

1275–1325; Middle English; perhaps originally sexual assault; akin to Old Norse brundr, German Brunft heat, ruttish state, Old English brunetha heat, itching; cognate with Old High German bronado. See burn ¹

Explanation

If you are the oldest child, you might bear the brunt of your parents' anger, even if you are not the instigator of the misdeed. Brunt means the worst part of something. When Canadian geese fly south, they travel in a V-formation, with the bird at point bearing the brunt of the headwind. One way to remember the word brunt is that words that sound like it—grunt and blunt—are also about being tough or absorbing pain.

Example Sentences

“With cyclicals bearing the brunt of margin pressure and earnings uncertainty, the relative story shifts back toward the U.S., where earnings growth is increasingly dominated by resilient, high‑margin, AI‑ and tech‑enabled sectors,” they said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Muslims bore the brunt in districts like Murshidabad and Malda, while Dalit Hindus - especially from the Bangladeshi migrant Matua community - were hardest hit in North 24-Parganas and Nadia.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Georgieva said oil and gas exporting countries that haven’t been swept up in the conflict will be least affected, while those that import fossil fuels will “bear the brunt of the impact.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Labour leaders warned that miners are bearing the brunt of the sudden policy shift.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

His faceplate took the brunt of the blow, the safety glass shattering into hundreds of small cubes.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir