try one's patience

Idioms and Phrases

Put one's tolerance to a severe test, cause one to be annoyed, as in Putting these parts together really tries my patience , or Her constant lateness tries our patience . This idiom uses try in the sense of “test,” a usage dating from about 1300.

Related Words

• annoy
• bother
• disturb
• exasperate
• gall
• inflame
• irk
• irritate
• peeve
• provoke
• roil
• vex