DictionaryabideTolerating
verb

abide

To tolerate someone or something.

He cannot abide the constant noise.

Etymology

Old English ābīdan meant to wait or remain. The sense of enduring something connects staying through an experience with tolerating it, especially when that experience is unpleasant.

More examples

  • She could not abide their rudeness.
  • I will not abide cruelty.
  • They had never been able to abide each other.

Forms

abide · abides · abided · abiding

Similar words

tolerate
Tolerate is more neutral and less emphatic.
stand
Stand is the ordinary informal alternative in negative expressions.