English · Idiom Attested

bear the brunt

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Suffer the most.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

chịu đựng phần lớn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent đứng mũi chịu sào to take responsibility for the hardest part of a common task; to bear the brunt; to take the helm Tiếng Việt

Common questions

What does “bear the brunt” mean?

Suffer the most.

Is “bear the brunt” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“đứng mũi chịu sào” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.