bear

¹

[ bair ]

verb (used with object)

, bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

1. to hold up; support:

   to bear the weight of the roof.

   Synonyms: sustain, uphold

2. to hold or remain firm under (a load):

   The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.

3. to bring forth (young); give birth to:

   to bear a child.

4. to produce by natural growth:

   a tree that bears fruit.

   Synonyms: yield

5. to hold up under; be capable of:

   His claim doesn't bear close examination.

6. to press or push against:

   The crowd was borne back by the police.

   Synonyms: force, drive, thrust

7. to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.):

   to bear oneself erectly.

8. to conduct (oneself ):

   to bear oneself bravely.

9. to suffer; endure; undergo:

   to bear the blame.

10. 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.

    Synonyms: suffer, abide, brook

11. to be fit for or worthy of:

    It doesn't bear repeating.

12. to carry; bring:

    to bear gifts.

13. to carry in the mind or heart: to bear malice.

    to bear love;

    to bear malice.

14. to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
15. to render; afford; give: to bear testimony.

    to bear witness;

    to bear testimony.

16. to lead; guide; take:

    They bore him home.

17. to have and be entitled to:

    to bear title.

18. to exhibit; show:

    to bear a resemblance.

19. to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear the cost.

    to bear responsibility;

    to bear the cost.

20. to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively:

    the relation that price bears to profit.

21. to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear an inscription.

    to bear traces;

    to bear an inscription.

22. to have and use; exercise: to bear sway.

    to bear authority;

    to bear sway.

verb (used without object)

, bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

1. 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.

2. to be located or situated:

   The lighthouse bears due north.

3. to bring forth young or fruit:

   Next year the tree will bear.

verb phrase

1. to be patient or forbearing with:

   Please bear with me until I finish the story.

2. 1. to press or weigh down on.
   2. to strive toward.
   3. to approach something rapidly.
   4. Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward:

      The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.

3. to endure; face hardship bravely:

   It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.

4. to substantiate; confirm:

   The facts bear me out.

5. 1. Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
   2. Nautical. to steer away.
   3. Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.
6. to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to:

   This information may bear on the case.

7. 1. to press or weigh down.
   2. to strive harder; intensify one's efforts:

      We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.

   3. Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship:

      The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.

bear

²

[ bair ]

noun

, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear.

1. 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.
2. any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.
3. a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.
4. a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline ( bull ).
5. Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.:

   a bear for physics.

6. Bear, Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
7. Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
8. Bear. Russia.

adjective

1. having to do with or marked by declining prices, as of stocks:

   bear market.

verb (used with object)

, beared, bear·ing.

1. Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).

Bear

³

[ bair ]

noun

1. Mount Bear, a mountain in southern Alaska, in the Saint Elias Mountains. 14,831 feet (4,520 meters).

Bear

¹

/ bɛə /

noun

1. the English name for Ursa Major Ursa Minor
2. an informal name for Russia

bear

²

/ bɛə /

noun

1. 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 ursine
2. any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear
3. a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person
4. a teddy bear
5. stock exchange
   1. a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase
   2. ( as modifier ) Compare bull 1

      a bear market

verb

1. tr to lower or attempt to lower the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative selling

bear

³

/ bɛə /

verb

1. to support or hold up; sustain
2. to bring or convey

   to bear gifts

3. to take, accept, or assume the responsibility of

   to bear an expense

4. past participle bornin passive use except when foll by by to give birth to

   to bear children

5. also intr to produce by or as if by natural growth

   to bear fruit

6. to tolerate or endure

   she couldn't bear him

7. to admit of; sustain

   his story does not bear scrutiny

8. to hold in the conscious mind or in one's feelings

   to bear a grudge

   I'll bear that idea in mind

9. to show or be marked with

   he still bears the scars

10. to transmit or spread

    to bear gossip

11. to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness )
12. to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc)

    she bore her head high

13. to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison)

    his account bears no relation to the facts

14. intr to move, be located, or lie in a specified direction

    the way bears east

15. to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title )
16. bear a hand
    to give assistance
17. bring to bear
    to bring into operation or effect

    he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation

Confusables Note

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.

Other Words From

• bearlike adjective

Word History and Origins

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- ( -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”; bruin

Word History and Origins

Origin of bear¹

Old English bera ; related to Old Norse bjorn , Old High German bero

Origin of bear²

Old English beran ; related to Old Norse bera , Old High German beran to carry, Latin ferre , Greek pherein to bear, Sanskrit bharati he carries

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose:

   Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.

2. loaded for bear, Informal. fully prepared and eager to initiate or deal with a fight, confrontation, or trouble:

   Keep away from the boss—he's loaded for bear today.

3. bear false witness. bear false witness.
4. bear witness. bear witness.

More idioms and phrases containing bear

• bring to bear
• cross as a bear
• cross to bear
• grin and bear it
• loaded for bear

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

It's not clear whether the bonus has in fact been paid out, but the regulator will insist that it is not paid by the operating company, and must be borne by the company owners.

From BBC

The ICC ruled that crimes of sexual violence had taken place, but Hassan was not found to bear responsibility for them.

From BBC

In Tbilisi, Eliava founded the laboratory that would eventually bear his name, the modern-day George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology, and Virology.

From Salon

"In the end you’re going to have to have a proposition with a sum of money that is capable of building it bearing in mind the continuing effects of building price inflation," he said.

From BBC

But the weight of expectations is a heavy thing to bear and they bog down this capable movie version on its way to liftoff.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• create
• develop
• form
• make
• produce
• provide

Bear Vs. Bare

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.

Quiz yourself on bear vs. bare!

Should bear or bare be used in the following sentence?

He chose to _____ his soul to her by showing her his poetry.