not countenance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Everyone knows that Rikers is worse than a hellhole, the kind of place a civilized society should not countenance, but its problems, despite decades of sound advice from special commissions and elsewhere, seem intractable.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2023

We are looking literally right now on Twitter at someone who will not countenance any sort of challenge to authority, or the rightness of his positions, or the idea that he could learn something.

From Salon • Nov. 21, 2022

“But because he worked for Texas, he had no cause of action. The war powers … do not countenance that result. It’s not right.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 29, 2022

But despite the risks involved, most would not countenance the idea of not meeting constituents face-to-face, saying it undermines the democracy they believe in.

From Reuters • Oct. 21, 2021

Madam Platt could not countenance this insubordination, but neither could she insist upon service when she could not pay a farthing in wages.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson