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Synonyms

grin and bear it

Idioms  

  1. Put up good-humoredly with adversity, with good humor, as in It's no fun being sick for the holidays, but you might as well grin and bear it. Also put as grin and abide in the 19th century, this expression became so well known that Sam Walter Foss (1858–1911) made a pun on it in his poem, “The Firm of Grin and Barrett”: “Never yet was any panic Scared the firm of Grin and Barrett.”

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.

By speaking up when neurotypical people might just grin and bear it, she and others can improve the office environment for all.

From Scientific American • Mar. 20, 2023

"For far too long women have been told to grin and bear it," she said but expressed the hope that more women might now feel emboldened to ask their employers for extra support when needed.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2022

All that was left to do was grin and bear it and hope that Mom would give me a turkey sandwich for lunch the next day.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2022

In preparation, Ukrainians seem to be patiently accepting that they must grin and bear it: deal with their very difficult ally, for better or worse.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2020

According to the powers that be, I’m supposed to grin and bear it.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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.