bear 1 (bâr) v. bore (bôr, bōr), borne (bôrn, bōrn) or born (bôrn), bear·ing, bears v. tr.
bear down
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). 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 fruit
Yield results, have a favorable outcome, as in This new idea of his is bound to bear fruit. This metaphoric term, first recorded in 1879, transfers the production of fruit by a tree or plant to other kinds of useful yield.