Tolerance means accepting or allowing things you don't necessarily agree with or prefer. When you show tolerance, you make room for differences without getting angry or trying to force everyone to be like you.

You practice tolerance when you stay patient with a friend who takes forever to make decisions, even though it drives you a little crazy. Your parents show tolerance when they listen calmly to your explanation after you've made a mistake. A teacher demonstrates tolerance by understanding that students learn at different speeds.

Tolerance also describes how well something can handle difficult conditions. A plant with high drought tolerance survives with little water. If you have a low tolerance for noise, loud sounds bother you more than they bother other people. Athletes often build up their pain tolerance through training.

In science, tolerance can mean the acceptable range of measurements. If a machine part needs to be exactly 5 centimeters long with a tolerance of 0.1 centimeters, it can be anywhere between 4.9 and 5.1 centimeters and still work properly.

Tolerance isn't about pretending to like everything. It's about making space for variety and difference in the world around you.