to grin and bear it
5
6.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
aguantar
- When times get tough, sometimes you just have to grin and bear it and continue working.
Examples
-
Just grin and bear it for the time being.
Fiction book (1998) -
One just has to grin and bear it, I always say.
-
I knew I had to grin and bear it because it was just part of the Black tax.
Fiction book (1996) -
So take tablets, grin and bear it, and leave for work.
-
You'll have to grin and bear it.
-
I'm sorry, Shrek, but can you please just try to grin and bear it?
-
The army teaches you to grin and bear it, doesn't it, Jem?
-
Grin and bear it.
-
Nothing for it but to grin and bear it. To demonstrate her fortitude, she grinned in Molly's direction.
Fiction book (1995) -
To homely Catholic maidens, Mrs. Mahon offered the consoling recommendation to "grin and bear it."
Academic text (1996)
Synonyms
∞
3.5
To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining
876
3.9
To accept something difficult or unpleasant
563
3.9
To accept something unpleasant that you cannot change
290
3.5
Endure something unpleasant without complaining
288
4.3
To accept something unpleasant without complaining
81
8.8
Accept a difficult situation and continue without complaining
52
5.1
Accept an unpleasant situation you cannot change
27
5.8
To accept something unpleasant that you cannot change
26
9.9
To tell someone to accept bad news or defeat without complaining
8
7.2
To accept unfair treatment or criticism without complaining
7
8.2
Accept failure or criticism bravely without complaining
6
5.0
Accept what happens calmly and do not worry
5
5.0
Deal with a problem calmly without getting upset
5
6.1
Accept punishment or a bad result without complaining
2
8.1
To accept unpleasant results and sometimes punishment for something you did
1
8.6
Tell someone to accept a situation they cannot change
To accept and deal with an unpleasant situation without complaining
To accept something unpleasant during talks to avoid bigger problems
Accept something as it is even if you do not like it
Accept the good and bad parts of a situation
Antonyms
How Tolerant
- Informal
5
6.8
304
3.5
290
3.5
41
3.7
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'grin' (smile) and 'bear' (tolerate) transparently point toward smiling while enduring something unpleasant, so a learner who knows the words would likely infer the general idea. However, the fixed idiomatic phrasing and the pragmatic nuance of suppressing complaint make the exact sense slightly conventionalized rather than fully predictable, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Grin and bear it paints a picture of someone forcing a smile (grin) while carrying a heavy load or pain (bear). So, it means 'accept something unpleasant without complaining'.