bear

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verb (used with object)

to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.

to hold or remain firm under (a load): The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.

to bring forth (young); give birth to: to bear a child.

to produce by natural growth: a tree that bears fruit.

to hold up under; be capable of: His claim doesn't bear close examination.

to press or push against: The crowd was borne back by the police.

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

to conduct (oneself): to bear oneself bravely.

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.

Relevant Questions

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.

00:10

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So is kibitz. Does it mean:

to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

chat, to converse

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Verb phrases

26.

bear down,

to press or weigh down.

to strive harder; intensify one's efforts: We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.

Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship: The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.

27.

bear down onupon,

to press or weigh down on.

to strive toward.

to approach something rapidly.

Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward: The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.

28.

bear off,

Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.

Nautical. to steer away.

Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.

29.

bear onupon, 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.

Idioms

33.

bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.

Origin:
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; < Indo-European *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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

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.

any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.

a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.

a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline ( opposed to bull ).

Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.: a bear for physics.

( initial capital letter ) Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.

Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.

( initial capital letter ) Russia.

adjective

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.).

Idioms

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:
before 1000; Middle English be(a)re, beor(e), Old English bera; cognate with Frisian bār, Dutch beer, Old High German bero (German Bär); < Germanic *beran- literally, the brown one; akin to Old Norse bjǫrn, bersi; compare Lithuanian bė́ras brown. Cf. bruin

Related forms

bear·like, adjective

noun

a mountain in S Alaska, in the Saint Elias Mountains. 14,831 feet (4520 meters).

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To bear

Collins

World English Dictionary

bear¹ (bɛə)

—vb , bears, bearing, bore, borne
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

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

bear² (bɛə)

—n , pl bears, bear
1.	black bear brown bear See also polar bear 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 clawsRelated: 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
	a. a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase
	b. Compare bull (as modifier): a bear market

—vb , bears, bear, bears, bearing, beared
6.	(tr) to lower or attempt to lower the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative selling

Related: ursine

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

Bear (bɛə)

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bear

O.E. beran "to bear, bring; bring forth, produce; to endure, sustain; to wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, pp. boren), from P.Gmc. *beranan (cf. O.H.G. beran, Ger. gebären, O.N. bera, Goth. bairan "to carry, bear, give birth to"), from PIE root *bher- (1) meaning both "give birth"

(though only English and German strongly retain this sense, and Russian has beremennaya "pregnant") and "carry a burden, bring" (see infer). Ball bearings "bear" the friction. 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. To bear (something) in mind is from 1530s.

bear

O.E. bera "bear," from P.Gmc. *beron "the brown one" (cf. O.N. björn, Ger. Bär), from PIE *bher- (3) "bright, brown" (see brown). Greek arktos and Latin ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko), but it is believed to have 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 Germanic word with Latin 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 1570s. Meaning "speculator for a fall" is 1709 shortening of bearskin jobber (from the 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." Paired with bull from c.1720.

Slang Dictionary

bear definition

n.
a difficult task. : This problem is a real bear.
n.
an ugly woman. (Derogatory.) : Tell the old bear to hold her tongue.
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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Easton

Bible Dictionary

Bear definition

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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American Heritage

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.