tolerate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to allow the existence, presence, practice, or act of without prohibition or hindrance; permit.
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to endure without repugnance; put up with.
I can tolerate laziness, but not incompetence.
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Medicine/Medical. to endure or resist the action of (a drug, poison, etc.).
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Obsolete. to experience, undergo, or sustain, as pain or hardship.
verb
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to treat with indulgence, liberality, or forbearance
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to permit
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to be able to bear; put up with
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med to have tolerance for (a drug, poison, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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toleratornoun
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nontoleratedadjective
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nontolerativeadjective
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tolerativeadjective
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untoleratedadjective
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untoleratingadjective
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untolerativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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toleratesimple
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toleratessimple
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have toleratedperfect
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has toleratedperfect
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am toleratingprogressive
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are toleratingprogressive
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is toleratingprogressive
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have been toleratingperfect progressive
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has been toleratingperfect progressive
Past
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toleratedsimple
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had toleratedperfect
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was toleratingprogressive
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were toleratingprogressive
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had been toleratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tolerate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin tolerātus “borne,” past participle of tolerāre “to bear”; akin to thole 2
Explanation
The verb tolerate means "to put up with or allow." You can tolerate your sister's love of Broadway musicals but really, you prefer dramas. Think of tolerate as the open-minded verb. It means you allow something to happen or exist, even if you don't really like it. For example, you don't like your neighbor's loud music but you tolerate because he only blasts it on Saturday afternoons. Scientifically speaking, when your body can tolerate a drug, poison or even pollution, it means you aren't harmed by it.
Vocabulary lists containing tolerate
Bud, Not Buddy
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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List 5
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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.
New Yorkers have had to tolerate a long line of incompetent or ideologically challenged mayors in the past, especially the recent past, yet the city and its people have survived.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
The Framers of the 14th Amendment sought to ensure that the United States would never again tolerate an underclass of people denied full equality by accident of birth.
From Slate • Jun. 30, 2026
People were not willing to tolerate the heat anymore co-founder Marc Newbold said adding air conditioning was starting to be viewed as a necessity not a luxury.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
Decide “how much concentration you’ll tolerate and at what point you’ll trim, then automate it so the decision is already made when emotions run hot,” Crosby said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
The ostensible reason for the letter is to thank Theo for the money he’d given Pa. He’s still angry with Theo, but he can’t tolerate the separation anymore.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
