bear
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to hold up; support.
to bear the weight of the roof.
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to hold or remain firm under (a load).
The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.
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to bring forth (young); give birth to.
to bear a child.
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to produce by natural growth.
a tree that bears fruit.
- Synonyms:
- yield
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to hold up under; be capable of.
His claim doesn't bear close examination.
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to press or push against.
The crowd was borne back by the police.
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to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.).
to bear oneself erectly.
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to conduct (oneself ).
to bear oneself bravely.
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to bear the blame.
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to sustain without yielding or suffering injury; tolerate (usually used in negative constructions, unless qualified).
I can't bear your nagging. I can hardly bear to see her suffering so.
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to be fit for or worthy of.
It doesn't bear repeating.
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to carry; bring.
to bear gifts.
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to carry in the mind or heart: to bear malice.
to bear love;
to bear malice.
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to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
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to render; afford; give: to bear testimony.
to bear witness;
to bear testimony.
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to lead; guide; take.
They bore him home.
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to have and be entitled to.
to bear title.
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to bear a resemblance.
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to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear the cost.
to bear responsibility;
to bear the cost.
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to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively.
the relation that price bears to profit.
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to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear an inscription.
to bear traces;
to bear an inscription.
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to have and use; exercise: to bear sway.
to bear authority;
to bear sway.
verb (used without object)
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to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear left at the fork in the road.
to bear west;
to bear left at the fork in the road.
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to be located or situated.
The lighthouse bears due north.
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to bring forth young or fruit.
Next year the tree will bear.
verb phrase
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bear with to be patient or forbearing with.
Please bear with me until I finish the story.
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bear down on / upon
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to press or weigh down on.
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to strive toward.
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to approach something rapidly.
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Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward.
The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.
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bear up to endure; face hardship bravely.
It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.
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bear out to substantiate; confirm.
The facts bear me out.
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bear off
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Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
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Nautical. to steer away.
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Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.
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bear on / upon to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to.
This information may bear on the case.
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bear down
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to press or weigh down.
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to strive harder; intensify one's efforts.
We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.
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Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship.
The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.
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idioms
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bear false witness. see bear false witness.
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bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose.
Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.
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bear witness. see bear witness.
noun
plural
bears,plural
bear-
any of the plantigrade, carnivorous or omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae, having massive bodies, coarse heavy fur, relatively short limbs, and almost rudimentary tails.
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any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.
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a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.
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a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull).
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Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc..
a bear for physics.
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Astronomy. Bear, either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
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Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
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Bear. Russia.
adjective
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
verb
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to support or hold up; sustain
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to bring or convey
to bear gifts
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to take, accept, or assume the responsibility of
to bear an expense
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(past participle bornin passive use except when foll by by) to give birth to
to bear children
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(also intr) to produce by or as if by natural growth
to bear fruit
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to tolerate or endure
she couldn't bear him
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to admit of; sustain
his story does not bear scrutiny
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to hold in the conscious mind or in one's feelings
to bear a grudge
I'll bear that idea in mind
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to show or be marked with
he still bears the scars
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to transmit or spread
to bear gossip
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to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness )
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to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc)
she bore her head high
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to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison)
his account bears no relation to the facts
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(intr) to move, be located, or lie in a specified direction
the way bears east
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to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title )
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to give assistance
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to bring into operation or effect
he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation
noun
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any plantigrade mammal of the family Ursidae : order Carnivora (carnivores). Bears are typically massive omnivorous animals with a large head, a long shaggy coat, and strong claws See also black bear brown bear polar bear
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any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear
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a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person
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a teddy bear
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stock exchange
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a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase
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( as modifier ) Compare bull 1
a bear market
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verb
noun
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the English name for Ursa Major Ursa Minor
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an informal name for Russia
Usage
What’s the difference between bear and bare? As a verb, bear commonly means to endure something negative (as in I can’t bear to watch) or to carry, hold up, or support (as in The roof can’t bear that much weight), while as a noun it refers to the big furry animal (like grizzly bears and polar bears). Bare can be an adjective that means uncovered (as in bare feet) or empty or without the usual contents (as in bare cabinets or bare walls), or a verb meaning to reveal or open to view (as in bare your secrets). Bare is most commonly used as an adjective, usually involving something uncovered or empty. As a verb, bear is often used in the context of holding or carrying things, including in literal, physical ways (as in bear a load or bear weight) and in figurative ones (as in bear a grudge). To remember the difference in spelling, remember that bears have ears, and they are able to bear a lot of weight because of how big and strong they are, but they are never bare because they are covered in fur. Here’s an example of bear and bare used correctly in a sentence. Example: Why does the bear never wear shoes? Because he prefers bare feet. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between bear and bare.
Commonly Confused
Since the latter part of the 18th century, a distinction has been made between born and borne as past participles of the verb bear1 . Borne is the past participle in all senses that do not refer to physical birth: The wheatfields have borne abundantly this year. Judges have always borne a burden of responsibility. Borne is also the participle when the sense is “to bring forth (young)” and the focus is on the mother rather than on the child. In such cases, borne is preceded by a form of have or followed by by: Anna had borne a son the previous year. Two children borne by her earlier were already grown. When the focus is on the offspring or on something brought forth as if by birth, born is the standard spelling, and it occurs only in passive constructions: My friend was born in Ohio. No children have been born at the South Pole. A strange desire was born of the tragic experience. Born is also an adjective meaning “by birth,” “innate,” or “native”: born free; a born troublemaker; Mexican-born.
Related Words
Bear, stand, endure refer to supporting the burden of something distressing, irksome, or painful. Bear and stand are close synonyms and have a general sense of withstanding: to bear a disappointment well; to stand a loss. Endure implies continued resistance and patience in bearing through a long time: to endure torture.
Other Word Forms
- bearlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of bear1
First recorded before 900; Middle English beren, Old English beran; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German beran, Dutch baren, Old Frisian, Old Norse bera, Gothic bairan, German (ge)bären, Russian berët “(he) takes,” Albanian bie, Tocharian pär-, Phrygian ab-beret “(he) brings,” Latin ferre, Old Irish berid “(he) carries,” Armenian berem, Greek phérein, Sanskrit bhárati, Avestan baraiti; from Indo-European bher- ( see -fer, -phore)
Origin of bear2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bere, beare, beor(e), Old English bera; cognate with Frisian bār, Dutch beer, Old High German bero, German Bär; from Proto-Germanic beran- literally, “the brown one”; akin to Old Norse bjǫrn, bersi; compare Lithuanian bė́ras “brown”; cf. bruin
Explanation
To bear is to carry or endure, whether by physical or mental force. If you can bear to read on, you'll find out all the different ways to use the word bear. Obviously you know the big hairy mountain-roaming animal, but you might not have heard about a bear on Wall Street — an investor who is pessimistic about the market. In its verb form, bear is rooted in the Old English beran, meaning “to bring forth, sustain, endure” and more. So you can bear (or carry) a grudge. You can bear (or give birth to) children. Or you can bear (or stand) to listen to your great aunt tell the same story for the umpteenth time if you have a kind soul.
Vocabulary lists containing bear
ACT Vocabulary List
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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"The Banana Tree," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
I've posted it on social media and it shows me going over to give him a bear hug, but it is him who ends up lifting me off the ground.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
So far, none of those moves has been enough to end Bitcoin’s prolonged bear market.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Another edition of the bear sculpture is on view at the New Orleans Museum of Art, but at Gagosian, the work for the first time will be on view as part of an exhibition.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
It did particularly well navigating the COVID-19-induced bear market in 2020 and subsequent recovery, for example.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026
After all, as Renn had said, it was still a bear; once it must have hunted salmon and browsed on berries, and slumbered through the winter.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
