endurance
Americannoun
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the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.
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the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.
He has amazing physical endurance.
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lasting quality; duration.
His friendships have little endurance.
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something endured, as a hardship; trial.
noun
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the capacity, state, or an instance of enduring
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something endured; a hardship, strain, or privation
Synonym Usage
See patience.
Etymology
Origin of endurance
Explanation
Endurance is the power to withstand something challenging. If you decide to run a marathon, you will need lots of endurance to run over 26 miles. The noun endurance contains endure, which means "to suffer or undergo" and the suffix -ance means "the state of." It can be used to describe the physical strength to keep going, as in a marathon or giving birth, but it can also be used when discussing an exhausting mental situation or stressful time — the endurance to bounce back from heartbreak, perhaps.
Vocabulary lists containing endurance
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Excerpt from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With explosive shot-making, relentless endurance and indomitable spirit, he barrelled past the trio of superstars on his way to winning his trio of majors.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
For us older folks, ski-prep exercises are less about building muscle and more about protecting our joints, testing our balance and boosting our leg endurance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Their muscles also developed more fibers with a high capacity for using oxygen, helping improve physical endurance.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Catherine Breed, 33-year-old endurance swimmer, emerged from the water on Monday after crossing the latitude of the California-Mexico border and became the first person to swim the length of California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Three things they all had in common: faith in themselves, great determination, and endurance.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
