verb, bore or (Archaic
) bare; borne or born; bear⋅ing.| 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. |
| 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. |
| 26. | bear down,
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| 27. | bear down on or upon,
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| 28. | bear off,
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| 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. |
| 33. | bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts. |

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
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bear
bear out
Back up or confirm, as in The results bear out what he predicted, or His story bears me out exactly. [Late 1400s]