ˈtäləˌrāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin toleratus, past participle of tolerare to endure, put up with; akin to Old English tholian to endure, put up with, Old High German dolēn, Old Norse thola, Gothic thulan to endure, put up with, Latin tollere to lift up, take away, latus carried (suppletive past participle of ferre to bear), Greek tlēnai to bear, Sanskrit tulā balance, scale, weight; basic meaning: to lift, bear
1.
a. : to endure or resist the action of (a drug, food, or physiologic factor) without grave or lasting injury
a premature baby … does not tolerate fats very well — H.R.Litchfield & L.H.Dembo
the average pilot cannot tolerate an average of over 85 hours in the air per month without eventually showing evidence of deterioration — H.G.Armstrong
b. : to thrive despite (something unfavorable in the environment)
2. : to permit the existence or practice of : allow without prohibition or hindrance : make no effort to prevent
a legitimate government — that is, one that rests on consent — can tolerate an opposition — Lindsay Rogers
3. : to endure with forbearance or restraint : put up with : bear
recommends that we should learn to tolerate one another — A.J.Franck
public opinion … will tolerate almost anything — Christopher Hollis
tolerate the offstage egotism and eccentricities of artists — John Mason Brown
Synonyms: see bear