tolerate
tolerate — verb
1. To allow other people to hold beliefs, follow customs, or behave in ways you per
To allow other people to hold beliefs, follow customs, or behave in ways you personally disagree with, without trying to stop them or express disapproval.
Hiro's family learned to tolerate his choice to become an artist instead of a doctor.
tolerate + noun phrase (someone's choice/decision)
The school principal refuses to tolerate any form of bullying among students.
refuse to tolerate + noun phrase
While Gita strongly disagrees with her colleague's political views, she tolerates them at work.
Sari does not tolerate people smoking near her children during family gatherings.
Many communities have become better at tolerating cultural differences over the past generation.
- accept
more positive — accept implies genuine approval or agreement, while tolerate suggests you still disagree but choose not to act
- allow
more neutral and permission-focused — allow does not carry the sense of personal disagreement
- permit
more formal and official — permit often involves rules or authority rather than personal attitude
- put up with
more informal and emotional — put up with suggests annoyance or reluctance
文法句型
tolerate + noun phrase
tolerate + someone + gerund
用法筆記
This sense often appears in negative or conditional structures (cannot tolerate, refuse to tolerate, will not tolerate). The object is typically a belief, behaviour, or practice rather than a physical condition.
常見錯誤
2. To endure a difficult, painful, or irritating situation while continuing to func
To endure a difficult, painful, or irritating situation while continuing to function normally.
Emre could barely tolerate the loud construction noise outside his apartment.
can barely tolerate + noun phrase
The old wooden bridge cannot tolerate heavy trucks during the rainy season.
Élise tolerated the long wait at the clinic by reading a novel on her phone.
The soldiers had to tolerate extreme cold during their mountain training exercise.
Nikhil cannot tolerate the summer heat without spending most of the day indoors.
- bear
simpler and more common in everyday speech; bear can be used for physical and emotional burdens
- endure
more formal and suggests a longer, more difficult experience
- stand
very common in negative constructions (cannot stand); more emotional than tolerate
- withstand
used for physical strength or resistance; often of objects or materials
文法句型
tolerate + noun phrase
tolerate + gerund
用法筆記
In this sense, the subject can be a person, an animal, or even an inanimate object (e.g., a structure or material). When used with inanimate subjects, the meaning shifts to 'be strong enough to withstand.'
常見錯誤
3. To receive a drug, treatment, food, or environmental condition without having un
To receive a drug, treatment, food, or environmental condition without having unwanted physical reactions or health problems.
The patient did not tolerate the chemotherapy well and developed severe nausea afterward.
not tolerate + [medicine] well
Some people cannot tolerate dairy products because their bodies lack the necessary enzyme.
cannot tolerate + food/drink
Felix's body has learned to tolerate the medication after several weeks of consistent use.
The doctor adjusted the dosage when tests showed that Sade could tolerate higher levels.
Babies born early often struggle to tolerate certain types of baby formula at first.
文法句型
tolerate + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used in medical and clinical contexts. The subject is typically a patient or organism, and the object is a substance (drug, food, chemical) or condition. The adverb well often follows: tolerate something well / not tolerate something well.