can't stand

Idioms and Phrases

Also, can't abide or bear or stomach . Thoroughly dislike; be unable to put up with something or someone. For example, I can't stand the sight of her; she's obnoxious , or I can't bear to leave the country , or I can't stomach a filthy kitchen . The oldest of these synonymous expressions is can't abide , which Shakespeare used in 2 Henry IV (3:2): “She could not abide Master Shallow.” Can't stand dates from the early 1600; can't bear dates from about 1700 and often but not always is used with an infinitive; can't stomach dates from the late 1600s and today is less common than the others.

Related Words

• abhor
• despise
• detest
• loathe
• scorn
• shun