bear the brunt of
Meaning(s)
1. suffer the most as a result of something
Popularity
Medium
Professional
Medium
Social
How to Memorize
bear the brunt of the blame
Analysis
To 'bear the brunt' of something is to endure the worst possible outcome. For example, houses on the coast will bear the brunt of a storm, compared to houses further inland. Low-income families will bear the brunt of rising food prices, compared to wealthy families. You will hear this expression in lots of contexts, social or professional.
Social Examples (Advance)
- As the person who came up with the idea of going to Budapest on holiday, I bore the brunt of the blame when it turned out to be a disaster.
- Dublin has been bearing the brunt of the severe weather conditions all weekend, with outside areas only mildly affected.
Professional Examples (Advance)
- I don't think it was fair that I had to bear the brunt of the criticism for the breakdown of the talks. After all, I wasn't the lead negotiator.
- When two of my colleagues got ill I bore the brunt of the overtime they had agreed to.