endure

[en-door, -dyoor]

verb (used with object)

endured, enduring 

1. to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo.

   to endure great financial pressures with equanimity.

2. to bear without resistance or with patience; tolerate.

   I cannot endure your insults any longer.

   Synonyms: brook, suffer, support, stand

3. to admit of; allow; bear.

   His poetry is such that it will not endure a superficial reading.

verb (used without object)

endured, enduring 

1. to continue to exist; last.

   These words will endure as long as people live who love freedom.

   Synonyms: abide
   Antonyms: die, fail

2. to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently.

   Even in the darkest ages humanity has endured.

3. to have or gain continued or lasting acknowledgment or recognition, as of worth, merit or greatness.

   His plays have endured for more than three centuries.

endure

/ ɪnˈdjʊə /

verb

1. to undergo (hardship, strain, privation, etc) without yielding; bear

2. (tr) to permit or tolerate

3. (intr) to last or continue to exist

Other Word Forms

• endurer noun
• unendured adjective
• endurability noun
• endurable adjective
• endurably adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of endure¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English enduren, from Anglo-French, Old French endurer, from Latin indūrāre “to harden, make lasting,” equivalent to in- in- ² + dūrāre “to last, be or become hard,” derivative of dūrus “hard”

Word History and Origins

Origin of endure¹

C14: from Old French endurer, from Latin indūrāre to harden, from dūrus hard

Synonym Study

See bear ¹. See continue.

Example Sentences

Every fourth Thursday in November, millions of Americans endure a similar challenge, spending their Thanksgiving holidays trying to strike a delicate balance between their own reality and someone else’s ideas.

Read more on Salon

For champions of more housing development, ditching the extra staircase has become a surprisingly buzzy and enduring cause.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said "the world record price" for the watch "illustrates the enduring interest in the Titanic story".

Read more on BBC

That tipping point is different for each person, and depends on the amount of stress you’re willing to endure as a guest, in addition to your own disposable income.

Read more on MarketWatch

Now little brother will have his moment in the spotlight after a courageous performance that saw him endure a powerful Mater Dei pass rush to throw for 290 yards and run for two touchdowns.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• brave 
• encounter 
• experience 
• face 
• feel 
• go through 
• know 
• ride out 
• suffer 
• sustain 
• tolerate 
• undergo 
• weather 
• withstand