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 Russians—
Walter Lippmann
Walter Lippmann2
: the greater part : burden
Synonyms
Examples of brunt in a Sentence
the brunt of the responsibility fell on her shoulders
Recent Examples on the Web
The intrigue: The worst of Salt Lake's heat islands are scattered around the city — deviating from national norms that typically see the brunt borne by lower-income neighborhoods that often lack trees and other plants to cool the area.
—Erin Alberty, Axios, 17 July 2024
After all, your muscles are all connected, so when one is out of whack, others can bear the brunt.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 July 2024
While blight is a problem for both cities and towns, inner cities often bear the brunt, Perez said.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2024
Even those islands that did not receive the full brunt still suffered severe damage to infrastructure, homes, tourism, and the fishing industry.
—Courtney Lindsay, WIRED, 13 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for brunt 
Erin Alberty, Axios, 17 July 2024
After all, your muscles are all connected, so when one is out of whack, others can bear the brunt.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 15 July 2024
While blight is a problem for both cities and towns, inner cities often bear the brunt, Perez said.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2024
Even those islands that did not receive the full brunt still suffered severe damage to infrastructure, homes, tourism, and the fishing industry.
—Courtney Lindsay, WIRED, 13 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for brunt
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.
Dictionary Entries Near brunt
Cite this Entry
“Brunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brunt. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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brunt
noun
: the main force or stress (as of an attack)
the brunt of the storm
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