bear

[ bair ]

/ bɛər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bear ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

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.

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.

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

to carry; bring: to bear gifts.

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

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

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

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

to have and be entitled to: to bear title.

to exhibit; show: to bear a resemblance.

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

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

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

to have and use; exercise: to bear authority; to bear sway.

verb (used without object), bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear west; to bear left at the fork in the road.

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

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

Verb Phrases

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Idioms for bear

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

Origin of bear

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 FOR bear

1 uphold, sustain.

4 yield.

6 thrust, drive, force.

10 brook, abide, suffer.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bear ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

usage 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.

Words nearby bear

beanie, beano, beanpole, beanshooter, beanstalk, bear, bear a grudge, bear animalcule, bear claw, bear down, bear fruit

Definition for bear (2 of 3)

bear ²

[ bair ]

/ bɛər /

noun, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear.

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), beared, bear·ing.

Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).

Origin of bear

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bear

bear·like, adjective

Definition for bear (3 of 3)

Bear

[ bair ]

/ bɛər /

noun

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

Example sentences from the Web for bear

“If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden,” he said.

Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern |Lloyd Green |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
He said, “I am breaking my heart over this story, and cannot bear to finish it.”

How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas |Clive Irving |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Once again he accused the West of being unfair to Russia, bringing back his favorite metaphor, the Russian bear.

After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug |Anna Nemtsova |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Maybe our dear bear should sit quietly, not chase piglets and just eat berries and honey.

After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug |Anna Nemtsova |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Putin suggested that all the West wanted was to turn the Russian bear into “taxidermy.”

After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug |Anna Nemtsova |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Besides, his arms did not bear the slightest trace of a wound.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar |Maurice Leblanc
She prayed for strength to bear it, and resigned herself to Gods will.

The Other World; or, Glimpses of the Supernatural (Vol. I of II) |Various
It's the same thing that my father used to say to me: "Play fair, Ted—and then if you lose, why, you must grin and bear it."

I Walked in Arden |Jack Crawford
She must suffer, her conscience must trouble her, in a way her life must be as hard to bear as his.

Fast as the Wind |Nat Gould
Close by the border were the rings, the places for the staves to bear the table.

The Bible Story |Rev. Newton Marshall Hall

British Dictionary definitions for bear (1 of 3)

bear ¹

/ (bɛə) /

verb bears, bearing, bore or borne (mainly tr)

to support or hold up; sustain

to bring or convey to bear gifts

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

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

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

to tolerate or endure she couldn't bear him

to admit of; sustain his story does not bear scrutiny

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

to show or be marked with he still bears the scars

to transmit or spread to bear gossip

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

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

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

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

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

bear a hand to give assistance

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

See also bear down, bear off, bear on, bear out, bear up, bear with, born

Word Origin for bear

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)

bear ²

/ (bɛə) /

noun plural bears or 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 claws See also black bear, brown bear, polar bear Related adjective: ursine

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

a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person

a teddy bear

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)

verb bears, bearing or beared

(tr) to lower or attempt to lower the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative selling

Word Origin for bear

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

British Dictionary definitions for bear (3 of 3)

Bear

/ (bɛə) /

noun the Bear

the English name for Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

an informal name for Russia

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bear

verb (used with object), bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

verb (used without object), bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for bear

Origin of bear

SYNONYMS FOR bear

synonym study for bear

usage note for bear

Words nearby bear

Definition for bear (2 of 3)

noun, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear.

adjective

verb (used with object), beared, bear·ing.

Origin of bear

OTHER WORDS FROM bear

Definition for bear (3 of 3)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for bear

British Dictionary definitions for bear (1 of 3)

verb bears, bearing, bore or borne (mainly tr)

Word Origin for bear

British Dictionary definitions for bear (2 of 3)

noun plural bears or bear

verb bears, bearing or beared

Word Origin for bear

British Dictionary definitions for bear (3 of 3)

noun the Bear

Idioms and Phrases with bear

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bear

verb (used with object), bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

verb (used without object), bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear·ing.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for bear

Origin of bear

SYNONYMS FOR bear

synonym study for bear

usage note for bear

Words nearby bear

Definition for bear (2 of 3)

noun, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear.

adjective

verb (used with object), beared, bear·ing.

Origin of bear

OTHER WORDS FROM bear

Definition for bear (3 of 3)

noun

Words related to bear

Example sentences from the Web for bear

British Dictionary definitions for bear (1 of 3)

verb bears, bearing, bore or borne (mainly tr)

Word Origin for bear

British Dictionary definitions for bear (2 of 3)

noun plural bears or bear

verb bears, bearing or beared

Word Origin for bear

British Dictionary definitions for bear (3 of 3)

noun the Bear

Idioms and Phrases with bear