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Bear

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bear

1  [bair] verb, bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear⋅ing.
Use Bear in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.
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.
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.
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.
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 love; to bear malice.
14. to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
15. to render; afford; give: 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 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 traces; to bear an inscription.
22. to have and use; exercise: to bear authority; to bear sway.
–verb (used without object)
23. to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear west; to bear left at the fork in the road.
24. to be located or situated: The lighthouse bears due north.
25. to bring forth young or fruit: Next year the tree will bear.
—Verb phrases
26. bear down,
a. to press or weigh down.
b. to strive harder; intensify one's efforts: We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.
c. Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship: The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.
27. bear down on or upon,
a. to press or weigh down on.
b. to strive toward.
c. to approach something rapidly.
d. Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward: The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.
28. bear off,
a. Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
b. Nautical. to steer away.
c. Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.
29. bear on or upon, to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to: This information may bear on the case.
30. bear out, to substantiate; confirm: The facts bear me out.
31. bear up, to endure; face hardship bravely: It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.
32. bear with, to be patient or forbearing with: Please bear with me until I finish the story.
—Idiom
33. bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME beren, OE beran; c. OS, OHG beran, D baren, OFris, ON bera, Goth bairan, G (ge)bären, Russ berët (he) takes, Albanian bie, Tocharian pär-, Phrygian ab-beret (he) brings, L ferre, OIr berid (he) carries, Armenian berem, Gk phérein, Skt bhárati, Avestan baraiti; < IE *bher- (see -fer, -phore

Synonyms:
1. uphold, sustain. 4. yield. 6. thrust, drive, force. 10. brook, abide, suffer. 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.

Usage 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.
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bear

2  [bair] noun, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear, adjective, verb, beared, bear⋅ing.
–noun
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, esp. of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull ).
5. Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.: a bear for physics.
6. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
7. Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
8. (initial capital letter) Russia.
–adjective
9. having to do with or marked by declining prices, as of stocks: bear market.
–verb (used with object)
10. Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).
—Idiom
11. 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.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME be(a)re, beor(e), OE bera; c. Fris bār, D beer, OHG bero (G Bär); < Gmc *beran- lit., the brown one; akin to ON bjǫrn, bersi; cf. Lith bė́ras brown. Cf. bruin

Related forms:
bearlike, adjective

Bear

  [bair]
–noun
Mount, a mountain in S Alaska, in the Saint Elias Mountains. 14,831 ft. (4520 m).

Bear River

 
–noun
a river in NE Utah, SW Wyoming, and SE Idaho, flowing into the Great Salt Lake. 350 mi. (565 km) long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Bear
bear 1   (bâr)   
v.   bore (bôr, bōr), borne (bôrn, bōrn) or born (bôrn), bear·ing, bears

v.   tr.

  1. To hold up; support.

  2. To carry from one place to another; transport.

  3. To carry in the mind; harbor: bear a grudge.

  4. To transmit at large; relate: bearing glad tidings.

  5. To have as a visible characteristic: bore a scar on the left arm.

  6. To have as a quality; exhibit: "A thousand different shapes it bears" (Abraham Cowley).

  7. To carry (oneself) in a specified way; conduct: She bore herself with dignity.

  8. To be accountable for; assume: bearing heavy responsibilities.

  9. To have a tolerance for; endure: couldn't bear his lying.

  10. To call for; warrant: This case bears investigation.

  11. To give birth to: bore six children in five years.

  12. To produce; yield: plants bearing flowers.

  13. To offer; render: I will bear witness to the deed.

  14. To move by or as if by steady pressure; push: "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (F. Scott Fitzgerald).

v.   intr.

  1. To yield fruit; produce: peach trees that bear every summer.

  2. To have relevance; apply: They studied the ways in which the relativity theory bears on the history of science.

  3. To exert pressure, force, or influence.

    1. To force oneself along; forge.

    2. To endure something with tolerance and patience: Bear with me while I explain matters.

  5. To extend or proceed in a specified direction: The road bears to the right at the bottom of the hill.

  6. To advance in a threatening manner: The ship bore down on our canoe.

  7. To apply maximum effort and concentration: If you really bear down, you will finish the task.

Phrasal Verb(s):
bear down

  1. To advance in a threatening manner: The ship bore down on our canoe.

  2. To apply maximum effort and concentration: If you really bear down, you will finish the task.

bear outTo prove right or justified; confirm: The test results bear out our claims.
bear upTo withstand stress, difficulty, or attrition: The patient bore up well during the long illness.

Idiom(s):
bear down onTo effect in a harmful or adverse way: Financial pressures are bearing down on them.

Idiom(s):
bear fruitTo come to a satisfactory conclusion or to fruition.

Idiom(s):
bear in mindTo hold in one's mind; remember: Bear in mind that bridges freeze before roads.

[Middle English beren, from Old English beran; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to withstand something difficult or painful. Bear pertains broadly to the capacity to withstand: "Those best can bear reproof who merit praise" (Alexander Pope).
Endure specifies a continuing capacity to face pain or hardship: "Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured and little to be enjoyed" (Samuel Johnson).
Stand implies resoluteness of spirit: Actors who can't stand criticism shouldn't perform in public.
Abide and suffer suggest the capacity to withstand patiently: She couldn't abide fools. He suffered their insults in silence.
Tolerate, when applied to something other than pain, connotes reluctant acceptance: "A decent . . . examination of the acts of government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged" (William Henry Harrison). See Also Synonyms at convey, produce.
Usage Note: Thanks to the vagaries of English spelling, bear has two past participles: born and borne. Traditionally, born is used only in passive constructions referring to birth: I was born in Chicago. For all other uses, including active constructions referring to birth, borne is the standard form: She has borne both her children at home. I have borne his insolence with the patience of a saint.
bear 2   (bâr)   
n.  

    1. Any of various usually omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae that have a shaggy coat and a short tail and walk with the entire lower surface of the foot touching the ground.

    2. Any of various other animals, such as the koala, that resemble a true bear.

    3. One, such as an investor, that sells securities or commodities in expectation of falling prices.

    4. A pessimist, especially regarding business conditions.

  2. A large, clumsy, or ill-mannered person.

    1. One, such as an investor, that sells securities or commodities in expectation of falling prices.

    2. A pessimist, especially regarding business conditions.

  4. Slang Something that is difficult or unpleasant: The final exam was a bear.

  5. Slang A highway patrol officer.

adj.  Characterized by falling prices: a bear market.

[Middle English bere, from Old English bera; see bher-2 in Indo-European roots. Sense 3, probably from proverb To sell the bear's skin before catching the bear.]
Bear   (bâr)   
A peak, 4,523.5 m (14,831 ft) high, in the Wrangell Mountains of southern Alaska near the British Columbia border.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
bear

  1. n.
    a difficult task. : This problem is a real bear.
  2. n.
    an ugly woman. (Derogatory.) : Tell the old bear to hold her tongue.
  3. n.
    a highway patrol officer. (See also Smokey (the Bear).) : There's a bear hiding under that bridge.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

bear  (v.)
O.E. beran "bear, bring, wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, pp. boren), from P.Gmc. *beranan (cf. O.H.G. beran, O.N. bera, Goth. bairan "to carry"), from PIE root *bher- meaning both "give birth" (though only Eng. and Ger. strongly retain this sense, and Rus. has beremennaya "pregnant") and "carry a burden, bring" (see infer). Many senses are from notion of "move onward by pressure." O.E. past tense bær became M.E. bare; alternative bore began to appear c.1400, but bare remained the literary form till after 1600. Past participle distinction of borne for "carried" and born for "given birth" is 1775. Ball bearings "bear" the friction; bearing "way of carrying oneself" is in M.E.

bear  (n.)
O.E. bera "bear," from P.Gmc. *beron "the brown one" (cf. O.N. björn, Ger. Bär). Both Gk. arktos and L. ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko), but it has been ritually replaced in the northern branches because of hunters' taboo on names of wild animals (cf. the Ir. equivalent "the good calf," Welsh "honey-pig," Lith. "the licker," Rus. medved "honey-eater"). Others connect the Gmc. word with L. ferus "wild," as if it meant "the wild animal (par excellence) of the northern woods." Symbolic of Russia since 1794. Used of uncouth persons since 1579. Meaning "speculator for a fall" is 1709 shortening of bearskin jobber, from phrase sell the bearskin in proverb sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear, i.e. "one who sells stock for future delivery, expecting that meanwhile prices will fall."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

Bear

An investor who believes that a particular security or market is headed downward. Bears attempt to profit from a decline in prices. Bears are generally pessimistic about the state of a given market.

Investopedia Commentary

For example, if an investor were bearish on the S&P 500 they would attempt to profit from a decline in the broad market index. Bearish sentiment can be applied to all types of markets including commodity markets, stock markets and the bond market.

Although you often hear that the stock market is constantly in a state of flux as the bears and their optimistic counterparts, "bulls", are trying to take control, do remember that over the last 100 years or so the U.S. stock market has increased an average 11% a year. This means that every single long-term market bear has lost money.

Related Links

Surviving Bear Country
The Dead Cat Bounce: A Bear In Bull's Clothing?
Capitulation Defined
The Short And Distort - Stock Manipulation In A Bear Market

See also: Bear Market, Bear Raid, Bull, Bull Market, Flight to Quality, Sell Short

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Financial Dictionary

bear

An investor who believes a security or some other asset or the security markets in general will follow a broad downward path. An investor can often be a bear on a particular security but not on the general market and vice versa. Compare bull.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: bear
Pronunciation: 'bar
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: bore /'bOr/; borne /'bOrn/ also born
transitive verb 1 : to physically carry (as an object or message) bear arms —U.S. Constitution amendment II>
2 : YIELD bear a dividend>
3 a : to admit of : ALLOW bear> b : ASSUME, ACCEPT bear legal responsibility for him> intransitive verb : to relate or have relevance bearing on her defense>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: bear
Pronunciation: 'ba(&)r, 'be(&)r
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: bore /'bO(&)r, 'bo(&)r/;borne /'bO(&)rn, 'bo(&)rn/ also born /'bo(&)rn/;bear·ing
: to give birth to
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Bear

a native of the mountain regions of Western Asia, frequently mentioned in Scripture. David defended his flocks against the attacks of a bear (1 Sam. 17:34-37). Bears came out of the wood and destroyed the children who mocked the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:24). Their habits are referred to in Isa. 59:11; Prov. 28:15; Lam. 3:10. The fury of the female bear when robbed of her young is spoken of (2 Sam. 17:8; Prov. 17:12; Hos. 13:8). In Daniel's vision of the four great monarchies, the Medo-Persian empire is represented by a bear (7:5).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

bear

In addition to the idioms beginning with bear, also see bring to bear; cross as a bear; cross to bear; grin and bear it; loaded for bear.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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