endure
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo.
to endure great financial pressures with equanimity.
-
to bear without resistance or with patience; tolerate.
I cannot endure your insults any longer.
-
to admit of; allow; bear.
His poetry is such that it will not endure a superficial reading.
verb (used without object)
-
to continue to exist; last.
These words will endure as long as people live who love freedom.
- Synonyms:
- abide
-
to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently.
Even in the darkest ages humanity has endured.
-
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.
verb
-
to undergo (hardship, strain, privation, etc) without yielding; bear
-
(tr) to permit or tolerate
-
(intr) to last or continue to exist
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has enduredperfect 3rd person singular
-
have enduredperfect
-
am enduringprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been enduringperfect progressive
-
is enduringprogressive 3rd person singular
-
enduringparticiple
-
are enduringprogressive
-
has been enduringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
enduressingular 3rd person
Past
-
had enduredperfect
-
had been enduringperfect progressive
-
enduredparticiple
-
were enduringprogressive plural
-
was enduringprogressive singular
-
enduredsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of endure
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”
Explanation
If something endures, it lasts: Beethoven's fame has endured for more than 200 years. But if you endure something, you suffer through it: We endured our teacher's slide shows of her vacation photographs. Notice above that something that endures can be good or bad. Something you endure is always bad. And people are forever talking about what they can't or won't endure, as in "I refuse to endure any more abuse from my neighbors." Endure derives from the Latin indūrāre "to make hard," formed from the prefix in- "against, into" plus dūrus "hard."
Vocabulary lists containing endure
Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" (1863)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Diary of Anne Frank
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Savage Starlight" comics, with the catchphrase, "Endure and survive."
From Salon • Feb. 19, 2023
Namely: Endure the pain of a rebuild, and you’ll be rewarded multifold when we come out the other side.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2022
The Building America’s Stamina to Endure Boredom A Little Longer bill to distribute NoDoz during the late-innings parade of relief pitchers.
From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2021
Hutchinson is the author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, out this month from HarperCollins.
From The Verge • Feb. 18, 2018
Endure, my friends, and remain yet awhile, that we may know whether Calchas prophesies truly or not.
From The Iliad of Homer (1873) by Buckley, Theodore Alois
Definitions 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.