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

“I think the inability to seek federal habeas relief would also lead to more people simply giving up on viable claims for immigration relief because they can’t stand to be in detention any longer.”

From Slate • Jun. 18, 2026

I’ve had women who come up and say, “I can’t stand Natalie, and it doesn’t relate to my understanding of religion at all.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

If you can’t stand the heat, better get out of the market’s kitchen.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

"I just can't stand this guy," Trump said at a Kentucky rally with Gallrein in March.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

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 "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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