bear and endure

[bosun]

As far as I know the two words " bear" and" endure" have the same meaning. THen, can I say as folloing( follows?)

He had to bear the hot summer( or can I say heat instead of hot summer?)
He had to endure the hot summer

 

[dn88]

Yes, both seem good in this context (you can say "the heat" instead of "the hot summer").

 

[Trisia]

Hello,

In this situation, I'd go with "bear". Endure is too strong a word for me. Sounds like the person is going through some terrible ordeal (unless, of course, you think summer heat is absolutely unbearable, in which case I'd agree, but I'd say "he had to endure the heat", not the summer)

 

[Smudgette]

Although they are both very similar, I have to say I don't like 'bear' very much in this context but I can't really say why. I think it's that you can't really 'bear' the summer - and as everyone has said, it's not the summer that needs to be borne, it's the heat, so I would suggest the use of either 'endure' or even 'survive'.

He had to endure the heat of the summer
or He had to survive the summer. (in other words, get to the end of it)

I would tend to use 'bear' more in:

He couldn't bear the heat of the summer.
I couldn't bear it!
He couldn't bear to see them leave.
We just had to grin and bear it.
He found the heat of the summer unbearable.

 

[panjandrum]

Prompted by Smudgette's explanation, it seems to me that the difference is that bear is not time-related. I can't bear the heat - it is too hot for me. I can't bear the noise, it is too loud for me.
Endure has the additional sense of putting up with something and surviving over a period of time.

So I could say:
I can't bear the heat in the summer, but I have to endure it.

 

[nichec]

The truth is.......I don't like "bear" or "endure".
To me, it sounds much better with "stand"
--I can't stand the heat of the summer.

Somehow I always link "bear" and "endure" with emotional struggle....
--I can't bear this pain of losing him.
--There's no way for me to endure a life without him.