bear

1
[ bair ]
See synonyms for bear on Thesaurus.com
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

  6. to conduct (oneself): to bear oneself bravely.

  7. to suffer; endure; undergo: to bear the blame.

  8. 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.

  9. to be fit for or worthy of: It doesn't bear repeating.

  10. to carry; bring: to bear gifts.

  11. to carry in the mind or heart: to bear love;to bear malice.

  12. to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).

  13. to render; afford; give: to bear witness;to bear testimony.

  14. to lead; guide; take: They bore him home.

  15. to have and be entitled to: to bear title.

  16. to exhibit; show: to bear a resemblance.

  17. to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear responsibility;to bear the cost.

  18. to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively: the relation that price bears to profit.

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

  20. to have and use; exercise: 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 west;to bear left at the fork in the road.

  2. to be located or situated: The lighthouse bears due north.

  1. to bring forth young or fruit: Next year the tree will bear.

Verb Phrases
  1. 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.

  2. bear down on / upon

    • 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.

  1. 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.

  2. bear on / upon to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to: This information may bear on the case.

  3. bear out, to substantiate; confirm: The facts bear me out.

  4. bear up, to endure; face hardship bravely: It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.

  5. bear with, to be patient or forbearing with: Please bear with me until I finish the story.

Idioms about bear

  1. bear false witness. See entry at bear false witness.

  2. bear witness. See entry at bear witness.

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

Origin of bear

1
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- (see -fer, -phore)

synonym study For bear

10. 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.

confusables note For bear

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 for bear

Other definitions for bear (2 of 3)

bear2
[ 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.

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

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

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

  4. Bear, Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.

  5. Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.

  6. 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.).

Origin of bear

2
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”; cf. bruin

Other words from bear

  • bearlike, adjective

Other definitions for Bear (3 of 3)

Bear
[ bair ]

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bear in a sentence

  • The Indian looked hastily around him without releasing the bearlike hug.

    The Fiery Totem | Argyll Saxby

British Dictionary definitions for bear (1 of 3)

bear1

/ (bɛə) /


verbbears, bearing, bore or borne (mainly tr)
  1. to support or hold up; sustain

  2. to bring or convey: to bear gifts

  1. to take, accept, or assume the responsibility of: to bear an expense

  2. (past participle born in passive use except when foll by by) to give birth to: to bear children

  3. (also intr) to produce by or as if by natural growth: to bear fruit

  4. to tolerate or endure: she couldn't bear him

  5. to admit of; sustain: his story does not bear scrutiny

  6. to hold in the conscious mind or in one's feelings: to bear a grudge; I'll bear that idea in mind

  7. to show or be marked with: he still bears the scars

  8. to transmit or spread: to bear gossip

  9. to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness)

  10. to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc): she bore her head high

  11. to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison): his account bears no relation to the facts

  12. (intr) to move, be located, or lie in a specified direction: the way bears east

  13. to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title)

  14. bear a hand to give assistance

  15. bring to bear to bring into operation or effect: he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation

Origin of bear

1
Old English beran; related to Old Norse bera, Old High German beran to carry, Latin ferre, Greek pherein to bear, Sanskrit bharati he carries

British Dictionary definitions for bear (2 of 3)

bear2

/ (bɛə) /


nounplural bears or bear
  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 Related adjective: ursine

  2. any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear

  1. a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person

  2. a teddy bear

  3. stock exchange

    • a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase

    • (as modifier): a bear market Compare bull 1 (def. 5)

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

Origin of bear

2
Old English bera; related to Old Norse bjorn, Old High German bero

British Dictionary definitions for Bear (3 of 3)

Bear

/ (bɛə) /


nounthe Bear
  1. the English name for Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

  2. an informal name for Russia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with bear

bear

In addition to the idioms beginning with bear

  • bear a grudge
  • bear down
  • beard the lion
  • bear fruit
  • bear in mind
  • bear one's cross
  • bear out
  • bear the brunt
  • bear up
  • bear with

also see:

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

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.