1
: the principal force, shock, or stress (as of an attack)
bear the brunt of the storm
the brunt of the struggle with the German army fell upon the RussiansWalter Lippmann
2
: the greater part : burden

Examples of brunt in a Sentence

the brunt of the responsibility fell on her shoulders
Recent Examples on the Web Tough Times Ahead: As the prices for office space in urban centers tumble, cities whose municipal budgets rely on taxes associated with commercial real estate are starting to bear the brunt. Michael Levenson, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 But the full brunt of the storm’s health impacts may not be felt for months. Zoya Teirstein, WIRED, 17 Feb. 2024 And some generations report feeling the brunt more than others. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2023 Down East Maine and Atlantic Canada were expected to bear the storm's brunt just three weeks after being hit by Tropical Storm Lee. CBS News, 7 Oct. 2023 One proposal for resolving the crisis would require farmers like Weber and Johnson to bear the financial brunt. Eli Tan, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Aug. 2023 The policies tend to be selectively enforced, with low-income, multifamily properties bearing the brunt. Max Griswold, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024 In the coming months, the full brunt of the Fed’s current QT program is set to be felt. Liz Capo McCormick, Fortune, 10 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brunt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brunt was in 1769

Dictionary Entries Near brunt

Cite this Entry

“Brunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brunt. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

brunt

noun
: the main force or stress (as of an attack)
the brunt of the storm

More from Merriam-Webster on brunt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!