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

Many live in poor, rural regions rich in oil and minerals, where communities have long borne the brunt of violence, exclusion and environmental damage.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

Jamie is 15 months older than Andy, and as his early dominance on the tennis court started to fade Andy says he quite literally bore the brunt.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

“With cyclicals bearing the brunt of margin pressure and earnings uncertainty, the relative story shifts back toward the U.S., where earnings growth is increasingly dominated by resilient, high‑margin, AI‑ and tech‑enabled sectors,” they said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Anwar Gargash, hailed the cease-fire as a victory for the Gulf monarchy, which absorbed the brunt of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the past five weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

As if in thanks, the sturdy trees had protected their house and fields from the brunt of the cyclone.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins