brunt
n. uncountablen. the main force or worst part of something unpleasant, like a storm or an attack. You usually use it with the verb 'bear' when you have to deal with the hardest part of a problem.
n. the principal force, shock, or greater part of an impact or blow. Frequently used in the idiomatic construction 'to bear the brunt of', referring to enduring the most severe portion of a negative event.
The coastal towns bore the brunt of the storm.
Small businesses often bear the brunt of economic downturns because they have fewer cash reserves than large corporations.
While the entire department was criticized for the failure, the project manager had to bear the brunt of the board's anger during the annual review.
From Middle English brunt, bront (“sudden onset, attack, charge, blow”), from Old Norse brundr or brundtíð (“oestrus, rut”) (from Proto-Germanic *brunstiz), or bruna (“to rush”, literally “to advance like wildfire”) (see brenna).
Almost exclusively used as the object of the verb 'bear' or 'take'.