brunt

American  

[bruhnt] / brʌnt /

noun

1. the main force or impact, as of an attack or blow.

   His arm took the brunt of the blow.

   Synonyms:

   burden, stress, thrust

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brunt British  

/ brʌnt /

noun

1. the main force or shock of a blow, attack, etc (esp in the phrase bear the brunt of )

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brunt Idioms  

1. see bear the brunt.

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Etymology

Origin of brunt

1275–1325; Middle English; perhaps originally sexual assault; akin to Old Norse brundr, German Brunft heat, ruttish state, Old English brunetha heat, itching; cognate with Old High German bronado. See burn ¹

Explanation

If you are the oldest child, you might bear the brunt of your parents' anger, even if you are not the instigator of the misdeed. Brunt means the worst part of something. When Canadian geese fly south, they travel in a V-formation, with the bird at point bearing the brunt of the headwind. One way to remember the word brunt is that words that sound like it—grunt and blunt—are also about being tough or absorbing pain.

Example Sentences

With the Middle East conflict now in its eighth week, Asian counties, with their high dependence on Persian Gulf oil supplies, have so far endured the brunt of the fuel crisis.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

Young people, particularly, have been bearing the brunt, with unemployment among those aged 16 to 24 rising to 16.1% - its highest level in more than a decade.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

However, the latest set of purchasing managers’ survey data for March suggests that Germany’s services sector is bearing much of the brunt of a slowdown in private-sector activity in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Mandalay, an ancient royal capital hemmed by jungle-clad mountains and the snaking Irrawaddy river, bore the brunt of the damage.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

The FBI still depended on her to handle the brunt of their code breaking.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield