can't stand

Idioms  

1. Also,. 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.

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Example Sentences

“But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. … This is a basketball court. At some point, I just can’t stand it. I gotta stand up for myself. But I know I gotta do better. My teammates, I know they have my back, so I let them down today.”

From Los Angeles Times

“And the same goes for guys who can’t stand up to their buddies. Or the government.”

From Literature

Aunt Tess looks like she wants to say something more to me, but I can’t stand the idea of lectures, or of someone else telling me how I should or shouldn’t feel about France.

From Literature

But then neither of us knows what to say next, and after a minute I can’t stand to let my mind linger in that place.

From Literature

There are people who prefer their sports growly and can’t stand the sight of players hugging and postgame jersey swaps.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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