In the teacher's statement, what does 'put up with' mean?

• A. Tolerate.
• B. Provoke.
• C. Encourage.
• D. Measure.

Answer: (A)

Understanding the meaning of the phrasal verb put up with is about tolerating or enduring something that’s annoying or unpleasant without complaining. In a teacher's statement, this signals that the speaker expects such behavior or condition to be endured, or that they will not tolerate it. For example, if a teacher says, "I won't put up with lateness," it means lateness won’t be tolerated and consequences will follow. The other options don’t fit because provoke means to cause a reaction, encourage means to support or motivate, and measure means to assess. The core idea is enduring something rather than acting to provoke, support, or evaluate it.