ENGLISH
REFERENCE

endure

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ɛnˈdjʊɹ// UK //ɛndjˈɔː// en·dure Archaic

v. to experience something difficult or painful for a long time without giving up. You use this when you have to be strong during a hard situation.

v. to suffer through or remain in existence under painful or difficult conditions without yielding. Often implies a sustained effort of will or physical stamina over a significant duration.


SIMPLE

The runners must endure extreme heat during the race.

CONTEXTUAL

The small business managed to endure the economic crisis by cutting costs and finding new customers.

COMPLEX

To reach the summit, the climbers had to endure freezing temperatures and oxygen levels so low that every step required a conscious effort of will.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

Etymology tree ▲ Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁en- Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Italic *dūros Latin dūrūs Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin dūrō Latin indūrō Latin indūrāreder. Old French endurerbor. Middle English enduren English endure From Middle English enduren, from Old French endurer, from Latin indūrō (“to make hard”). Displaced Old English drēogan, which survives dialectally as dree. Doublet of dure.

Usage

The verb can be used transitively with a direct object or intransitively to mean 'to last'.

Pitfall

He endured from the painHe endured the painWhen meaning to suffer through something, the verb is transitive and does not require a preposition like 'from'.

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