Meaning & use
indure or endure
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseold-fashioned
A spelling query: 'indure' is an old, incorrect spelling of the verb 'endure', which means to suffer something painful patiently.
Grammar: Use 'endure' in modern writing; 'indure' appears only in older texts and is treated as a mistake today.
Patterns
- endure pain
- endure hardship
- endure something for a long time
The correct modern spelling is 'endure', not 'indure'.
She had to endure months of treatment before she felt better.
These old letters spell it 'indure', which was once acceptable.
verbtransitiveformal
To suffer something difficult, painful or unpleasant without giving up.
Grammar: Takes an object: endure the pain. It is formal and stronger than 'put up with'.
Patterns
- endure something
- endure hardship
- endure pain for years
The family endured great hardship during the war.
He endured the pain without complaining.
They endured years of uncertainty before the decision came.
verbintransitiveformal
To continue to exist or last for a long time.
Grammar: No object; the thing itself lasts: The custom endured.
Patterns
- something endures
- endure for centuries
- endure through the years
The building has endured for over three hundred years.
Their friendship endured despite the distance.
Some traditions endure longer than the people who started them.
Word forms
| third person singular | endures |
|---|---|
| past tense | endured |
| past participle | endured |
| -ing form | enduring |
Common combinations
- endure hardship
- Many students endure hardship to finish their studies.
- endure pain
- He endured pain quietly after the accident.
- endure for centuries
- The bridge has endured for centuries.
- endure to the end
- She endured to the end of the race.
- patiently endure
- They patiently endured the long delay.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bear
- Bear is more common in everyday speech for pain or annoyance, while endure sounds more formal and serious.
- tolerate
- Tolerate means you accept something you dislike without protest; endure suggests a longer, harder struggle.
- last
- Last is used for things that continue in time, not for people suffering something.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: indure or endure or indure? indure or endure or ensure?
indure or endure vs indure
'Indure' is not standard modern English; it is an old spelling of 'endure' and should be avoided in writing.
indure or endure vs ensure
Ensure means to make certain something happens, and is a completely different word from endure.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct modern spelling and meaning?
Choose one answer.
'Endure' is the correct modern spelling and takes an object such as 'the noise'. Option A uses the old spelling, while D uses 'ensure', which means to make certain and does not fit the meaning of suffering.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “indure or endure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.