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

Example Sentences

"This is yet another example of independent retailers bearing the brunt of infrastructure failures through no fault of their own," he said.

From BBC

Nuwan Thushara bore the brunt of the assault, conceding 31 runs in his first two overs as Pakistan seized early control.

From Barron's

So far, it has been the Ukrainian leader who has borne the brunt of his pressure, irritation and anger.

From BBC

In other words, they hit areas that don’t typically bear the brunt of the Santa Ana’s strength — like Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

From Los Angeles Times

"We had to leave our families and our fields. We don't know anything, yet the brunt of war is faced by us and our families."

From Barron's