Put up with

Put up with is an idiom that has been in use for about 250 years. We will examine the meaning of the idiom put up with, from where this expression is derived, and some examples of its use in sentences.

To put up with someone or something means to tolerate it, to endure something annoying, to patiently accept something or someone that is unpleasant. One usually puts up with someone or something as a kindness or in order to achieve a bigger goal. To put up with is a phrasal verb, related phrases are puts up with, putting up with. The idiom put up with first came into use in the 1770s, and evolved from an older idiom, to put up.

Examples

“We’ve had a terrible summer,” said Fossitt, who has also put up with regular heavy truck traffic and piles of dust. (The Ottawa Citizen)

Molly-Mae’s comments mean she’s unlikely to put up with Tommy’s lack of independence in the real world once they leave the villa. (The Mirror)

Kass explained: “We had to put up with this damp, unclean water smell and you just never really felt clean, you just felt dirty the whole time and we had to sit there for a whole week.” (The Sun)

Queen Catherine “had a lot to put up with” after travelling to Britain to Portugal to cement the British Royal Family’s alliance with Lisbon through her marriage to Charles II, BBC presenter Fiona Bruce claimed. (The Daily Express)