Put up with meaning
Put up with means to accept something or someone annoying without complaining.
put up with somebody or something
put up with · put · putting
I can’t put up with this noise any longer.
Put up with meanings and examples
One meaning, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.
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1
Accept something or someone annoying without complaining
put up with somebody or something
- I can’t put up with this noise any longer.
- How do you put up with him?
- We had to put up with cold showers all week.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use put up with in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is put up with separable?
Put up with is not separable. The annoying thing goes at the end: put up with the noise, put up with it.
Put up with is close to stand, but stand is mostly used in negatives and questions: I can’t stand it. Put up with also works in positive sentences: I put up with it for years.
Verb tenses for put up with
| Present | I put up with · she puts up with |
|---|---|
| Past | put up with |
| Present perfect | have put up with |
| -ing form | putting up with |
Common mistakes with put up with
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I can’t put up with to wait any more.
Right: I can’t put up with waiting any more.
After with, use the -ing form.
Wrong: The noise is terrible. I can’t put up it.
Right: The noise is terrible. I can’t put up with it.
You need with before the thing.
Wrong: I can’t put up with the class. It’s too fast.
Right: I can’t keep up with the class. It’s too fast.
Keep up with means go as fast as others.
Synonyms and opposites of put up with
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- toleratethe formal word
- standmostly in negatives: I can’t stand it
- live withaccept a problem because you can’t change it
Opposite
- complain aboutsay that you are unhappy with something
- object tosay you do not accept something; formal
Put up with quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1I don’t know how you ___ such a long trip to work.
Put up with means accept something annoying.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Put up with is not separable, and it needs with.
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3Ana’s flatmate is messy, but Ana never complains. Ana ___ the mess.
She accepts it without complaining.
More phrasal verbs with put
All phrasal verbs with put, by level, with an exercise
11 phrasal verbs start with put. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- put onA2dress yourself in clothes, shoes or glasses
- put offB1decide to do something later than you planned
- put awayB1put something in the place where it is kept
- put downB1place something you are holding on a table or the floor
- put outB1stop a fire, a cigarette or a light from burning or shining
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- put backB1return something to the place where it was before
- put togetherB2make something by joining its parts
- put forwardC1suggest an idea or a plan so people can discuss it
- put inA2put something inside a container, a machine or a drink
Put up with FAQ
Questions people ask about put up with.
Is put up with formal?
It is informal to neutral. In formal writing use tolerate: The company will not tolerate late payments.
What is the difference between put up with and put up?
Put up without with means build, raise or let someone stay: put up a tent, put a friend up for the night. Put up with means accept something annoying.
What is another way to say put up with?
Stand, bear or tolerate. Stand and bear are usually negative: I can’t bear the heat.
Use put up with in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.