1.
to accept someone or something annoying
“I can't put up with this noise!”
“How do you put up with him?”
“She had to put up with a lot.”
Synonyms: to tolerate, to bear, to stand
Phrasal verb
What does put up with mean?
Meaning: to accept something annoying without complaining
B1
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Quick answer
Put up with = to accept something annoying (a person or a situation). I can't put up with the noise = the noise is too annoying for me. It is a three-word phrasal verb, not separable, and always followed by an object. It is different from support (= to help or encourage).
Meanings of the phrasal verb
Word order
Inseparable
The object goes after the particle, never between the verb and the particle.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- put up with
- Past Simple:
- put up with
- Past participle:
- put up with
- -ing form:
- putting up with
Common mistakes to avoid
Support does not mean put up with
In English, support means to help or encourage (with words or money). To say you accept something annoying, use put up with, stand or bear. I support my team (I encourage them) / I can't put up with him (he is too annoying for me). I can't support him ❌ in this meaning.
A three-word phrasal verb that is not separable
The order is fixed: put + up + with + object. Put up with the noise ✓ / Put up the noise with ❌ / Put with up the noise ❌. With a pronoun: put up with it.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: put up with
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What's next?
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Frequently asked questions
What does put up with mean?+
Put up with means to accept someone or something annoying, without complaining. It is a three-word phrasal verb. I can't put up with the noise = the noise is too much for me. It has only one meaning, but it is very useful.
What is the difference between put up with and support?+
In English, support means to help or encourage someone (or to give money). It does not mean to accept something annoying. For that meaning, say put up with, stand or bear.
Is put up with separable?+
No, it is not separable. The order is fixed: put + up + with + object. Put up with him ✓ / Put him up with ❌. With a pronoun: put up with it ✓.
What is the past simple of put up with?+
Put up with (no change). Put is one of the few irregular verbs with 3 identical forms: put → put → put. She put up with a lot last year = she accepted a lot of difficult things last year.
What is the difference between put up with, stand and bear?+
They are close. Put up with is more common when people speak. Stand is informal, mostly in the negative (I can't stand him). Bear is more formal, also often in the negative (I can't bear it).
Related phrasal verbs
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/put-up-with
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.