Tolerate

//ˈtɒl.ə.ɹeɪt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To allow or permit without explicit approval, usually if it is perceived as negative. transitive

    "The party tolerated corruption within its ranks."

  2. 2
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant wordnet
  3. 3
    To bear, withstand. transitive

    "I can tolerate working on Saturday, but not Sunday."

  4. 4
    allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting wordnet
  5. 5
    have a tolerance for a poison or strong drug or pathogen or environmental condition wordnet
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  1. 6
    recognize and respect (rights and beliefs of others) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
allowallowbearstandabidebear

Example

More examples

"There was nothing for it but to tolerate it."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tolerātus, the perfect passive participle of tolerō (“to endure”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Cognate with Old English þolian (“to tolerate, suffer, bear”) and French tolérer. More at thole.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.