bear the brunt
Take main force
To bear the brunt is to endure the main force or impact of something difficult or damaging: Coastal towns bore the brunt of the hurricane.
The phrase almost always describes absorbing the worst of an attack, criticism, hardship, or burden: Customer service reps bear the brunt of complaints about company policy.
- sufferExperience pain or distress
- endureSuffer through without yielding
- absorbTake in fully
- shoulderUpper arm joint
- carry the loadAccept the main responsibility
withstand · scapegoat · tolerate · take one's lumps · accept · face the music · experience · take the fall · take it on the chin · aftermath · fallout · pay the price · take the heat · toll · lion's share · repercussions · damage · hardship
bear the bruntsidestep
Evade by moving aside
evade · deflect · get off lightly · pass the buck · slip through
bear, bearing, bears, overbearing, unbearable, bearings, bearer, brunt, forebear