You're staring at your phone, the grid is almost full, and there it is. Four letters. The clue simply says "Put up with." You've tried BEAR. Doesn't fit the crosses. You've thought about ABIDE. Too long. This is the classic put up with NYT crossword struggle that happens more often than you’d think. Honestly, it’s one of those clues that feels like a personal attack when you're three minutes into a Monday puzzle and just want to finish your coffee.
Crossword puzzles are weird. They rely on the fact that the English language is essentially three different languages wearing a trench coat. The New York Times crossword, edited by Will Shortz (and the digital team including Joel Fagliano), loves to play with the flexibility of phrasal verbs. "Put up with" is the ultimate chameleon. Depending on the day of the week, the answer could be a synonym for endurance, a word for physical construction, or even a term for providing lodging.
The Most Common Answers for Put Up With NYT
If you are stuck right now, let's look at the likely culprits. Usually, when the NYT asks for a synonym for "put up with," they want a four-letter word.
ABIDE is a frequent flier, though it's five letters. If you see "Put up with" and the grid gives you five boxes, ABIDE is your best bet. It’s got that slightly formal, almost "Big Lebowski" energy. But if you're looking at a three-letter space? It's almost certainly EAT.
Wait, eat?
Yeah. Think about the phrase "He had to eat it." In the context of a sports loss or a bad deal, "eating it" means you're putting up with a crappy situation. It’s a bit of a "Tuesday or Wednesday" level clue because it requires a tiny bit of lateral thinking.
Then there is BROOK. This one catches people off guard because most of us associate brooks with babbling water and scenery. But as a verb, to brook no interference means you won't put up with it. It’s a favorite of the NYT because it uses a common word in an uncommon way. That is the bread and butter of puzzle construction.
When the Answer is Physical
Sometimes the clue isn't about tolerance at all. This is where the NYT gets sneaky. "Put up with" can be a literal description of building something.
- ERECT: If the clue is "Put up, as a tent," you're looking for ERECT.
- POST: Think social media or a physical notice on a wall.
- BUILD: The most obvious, yet somehow the one we forget when we're hunting for synonyms of "tolerate."
If you see STAY, you might be looking at a clue that refers to "putting up" for the night. Language is messy. We use the same three words to mean "I will tolerate your nonsense" and "I will provide you a bed in my guest room."
Why Short Clues are Actually Harder
It’s a paradox. You’d think a long, descriptive clue would be the difficult one. Nope. In the world of the put up with NYT crossword, the shorter the clue, the more possibilities it holds. A long clue gives you context. A short clue like "Put up with" leaves you stranded in a sea of definitions.
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Crossword constructors like Andrea Carla Michaels or David Steinberg often use these short, punchy clues to "gatekeep" a section of the grid. If they can't find a way to make the crosses easy, they'll use a word with multiple meanings to force you to work for it. It's a game of nerves.
The "Stand" Factor
STAND is perhaps the most common synonym used in the puzzle. It’s five letters. It’s simple. But it’s also boring. To spice it up, the editors might clue it as "Can't ___ it!" which points you directly to the answer. But when they just give you the phrase "Put up with," your brain might skip over the simplest options in favor of something more complex.
Don't overthink it.
Honestly, the best way to solve these is to look at the vowels in the crossing words. If you have an A in the second position, it’s probably STAND or EAT. If you have an O in the third, you’re likely looking at BROOK.
Dealing with Phrasal Verbs in Puzzles
Phasal verbs—verbs combined with a preposition—are the bane of non-native English speakers and crossword newbies alike. "Put up" changes meaning entirely if you add "with," "to," or "out."
- Put up to: Often results in ABET (another NYT favorite).
- Put up: Could be CAN (as in preserving food).
- Put up with: TOLERATE, BROOK, ABIDE, STAND, BEAR, EAT.
The NYT Crossword is basically a daily test of how well you understand these nuances. It isn't just a vocabulary test; it's a pattern recognition test.
Modern Variations and Slang
As the NYT crossword has tried to get "younger" and more "hip" over the last few years, we’ve seen more colloquialisms. While you won't often see "Put up with" result in something like COPE (which is a bit too simple), you might see it used in a way that references modern life.
Actually, COPE shows up quite a bit. It’s four letters. It fits a lot of corners. It’s a solid, utilitarian word.
But what about STOMACH? That’s a seven-letter monster. If you see a long span and the clue is "Put up with," you aren't looking for a short synonym. You're looking for a physical verb. "I can't stomach that." It’s visceral. It’s evocative. It’s exactly what makes a Saturday puzzle a nightmare.
Historical Trends in the NYT Crossword
Back in the Maleska era (before Will Shortz took over in 1993), the clues were much more dictionary-defined. You wouldn't see many "punny" interpretations. If the clue was "Put up with," the answer was going to be ENDURE. Period.
Shortz changed the game by introducing "misdirection." Now, when you see put up with NYT, you have to pause. Is it a verb? Is it a past participle? Is it part of a larger theme?
In 2024 and 2025, there has been a noticeable shift toward using "Put up" to mean "Nominating" or "Presenting." If the clue is "Put up for an award," the answer is NAME. It’s a completely different linguistic branch, but it uses the same "Put up" root. This is why you can’t just memorize a list of synonyms. You have to understand the vibe of the day.
The Saturday Struggle
On a Saturday, "Put up with" won't be BEAR. It will be something like GOALONGWITH or SUFFER. The NYT loves to use multi-word answers on the weekends. These "stack" puzzles mean that a simple three-word clue can lead to a twelve-letter answer that spans the entire grid.
If you are stuck on a Saturday, look for the "with" to be part of the answer itself. Sometimes the clue is a "double definition" where one half of the answer satisfies "Put up" and the other satisfies "With." (Though that’s more common in cryptic crosswords, which are a whole different beast).
How to Get Better at This Specific Clue
The "Put up with" clue is a benchmark. Once you can reflexively cycle through the possibilities, you've moved from "casual solver" to "enthusiast."
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- Step 1: Check the length. 3 = EAT, 4 = BEAR/COPE, 5 = ABIDE/STAND, 7 = STOMACH.
- Step 2: Check the crosses. If you have a 'K' at the end, it’s BROOK.
- Step 3: Check the day of the week. Monday is literal. Saturday is a trap.
- Step 4: Consider the "lodging" or "construction" angle if synonyms for "tolerate" aren't working.
It’s also worth noting that THOLE is an old-school crossword word that means to endure or put up with. You don't see it much anymore because it’s "crosswordese"—words that only exist in puzzles and 19th-century poetry—but if you’re doing an archival puzzle from the 80s, keep it in your back pocket.
Real Examples from Recent Puzzles
In a recent Tuesday puzzle, the answer was BIDE. This is a variation of "Abide," but it’s often used in the context of "biding one's time." It’s a bit of a stretch for "Put up with," but it has appeared.
Another one? STICK. As in "Stick it out."
The NYT is fond of these deletions. They take a phrase like "Stick it out" and shorten the clue to "Put up with," assuming you'll make the mental leap. It’s clever. It’s frustrating. It’s why we pay for the subscription.
Practical Steps for the Frustrated Solver
If you’re currently staring at a blank spot in your grid and put up with NYT is the only thing standing between you and a Gold Star, do this:
- Leave it and come back. Your brain processes these clues in the background. Often, the answer will just "pop" while you're doing something else.
- Focus on the suffix. If the answer is long, look for "ING" or "ED" endings. If the clue is "Put up with," it's likely a present-tense verb, but the crosses will tell you for sure.
- Use a solver only as a last resort. If you must, use a database like XWordInfo or NYTクロスワード (for the Japanese-speaking community of solvers). They track every clue ever used.
- Learn the "Shortz Era" favorites. Words like ERECT, ABIDE, and BROOK are in heavy rotation.
Crosswords are essentially a conversation between the constructor and the solver. When they use a clue like "Put up with," they're asking, "How well do you know the different corners of your own language?"
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Don't let a four-letter word ruin your streak. Whether it's BEAR, EAT, or the dreaded BROOK, the answer is there. You just have to stop looking at what the words say and start looking at what they mean.
The next time you see this clue, you won't just be guessing. You’ll be scanning through a mental Rolodex of possibilities, from physical construction to emotional endurance. That’s how you go from a 40-minute solve to a 10-minute sprint. Keep the grid moving, keep the crosses filling in, and eventually, the "Put up with" answer will reveal itself—usually right when you were about to give up.
For the most immediate help, check the letter count again. If it's 4, try BEAR. If it's 5, try STAND. If those don't work, look at the second letter. If it's an 'O', you're probably looking at BROOK. Good luck with the rest of the grid.