born

[ bawrn ]

/ bɔrn /

adjective

brought forth by birth.

possessing from birth the quality, circumstances, or character stated: a born musician; a born fool.

native to the locale stated; immigrated to the present place from the locale stated: a German-born scientist; a Chicago-born New Yorker.

verb

a past participle of bear¹.

Idioms for born

born yesterday, naive; inexperienced: You can't fool me with that old trick—I wasn't born yesterday.

Origin of born

before 1000; Middle English; Old English boren (past participle of beran to bear¹), equivalent to bor- past participle stem + -en -en³

usage note for born

See bear¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM born

pre·born, adjective self-born, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH born

born borne (see usage note at bear¹)

Words nearby born

borlaug, borlotti bean, borm, borman, bormann, born, born and bred, born under a lucky star, born with a silver spoon, born with a silver spoon in one's mouth, born yesterday

Definition for born (2 of 4)

Born

[ bawrn ]

/ bɔrn /

noun

Max,1882–1970, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1954.

Definition for born (3 of 4)

bear ¹

[ bair ]

/ bɛər /

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.

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.

Definition for born (4 of 4)

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

Example sentences from the Web for born

The influential al Qaeda propagandist, who was born in New Mexico, died in a U.S. drone strike later that year.

France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers |Nico Hines |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
A few months later, after their children were born, we visited the men and women again.

How Good Dads Can Change the World |Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Yung Lean was born Jonatan Leandoer Håstad in Belarus, before moving to Sweden at the age of 3.

The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ |Marlow Stern |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Little did I know that Lee had actually been born into a wealthy family.

The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile |Robert Ward |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

I asked her how her trainers, born and raised in Iran, have learned how to teach hip-hop.

Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread |IranWire |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
In the summer of 1874 baby Theodore was born, and none from Fort Sully came to our annual meeting.

Mary and I |Stephen Return Riggs
François-antoine Habeneck (the eldest of three brothers of this name) was born at Mezières, June 1st, 1781.

The Violin |George Dubourg
Blessed be thou, thou art a prince and born in the illustrious line of Matsyas.

The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 4 |Kisari Mohan Ganguli
The Samuel Tompson referred to in the following entry seems to have been the son of the deacon, and was born Nov. 6, 1662.

Some Phases of Sexual Morality and Church Discipline in Colonial New England |Charles Francis Adams
Could she not have honoured Him equally well by living the free, healthy life that she had been born to live?

The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete |Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for born (1 of 5)

born

/ (bɔːn) /

verb

the past participle (in most passive uses) of bear 1 (def. 4)

was not born yesterday is not gullible or foolish

adjective

possessing or appearing to have possessed certain qualities from birth a born musician

being at birth in a particular social status or other condition as specifiedignobly born
(in combination)lowborn

in all one's born days informal so far in one's life

usage for born

Care should be taken not to use born where borne is intended: he had borne (not born) his ordeal with great courage; the following points should be borne in mind

British Dictionary definitions for born (2 of 5)

Born

/ (bɔːn) /

noun

Max . 1882–1970, British nuclear physicist, born in Germany, noted for his fundamental contribution to quantum mechanics: Nobel prize for physics 1954

British Dictionary definitions for born (3 of 5)

Bear

/ (bɛə) /

noun the Bear

the English name for Ursa Major, Ursa Minor

an informal name for Russia

British Dictionary definitions for born (4 of 5)

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 born (5 of 5)

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

Idioms and Phrases with born (1 of 2)

born

In addition to the idioms beginning with born

born and bred
born under a lucky star
born with a silver spoon
born yesterday

also see:

in all one's born days
not born yesterday
to the manner born

Idioms and Phrases with born (2 of 2)

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

born

adjective

verb

Idioms for born

Origin of born

usage note for born

OTHER WORDS FROM born

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH born

Words nearby born

Definition for born (2 of 4)

noun

Definition for born (3 of 4)

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

Origin of bear

SYNONYMS FOR bear

synonym study for bear

usage note for bear

Definition for born (4 of 4)

noun, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear.

adjective

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

Origin of bear

OTHER WORDS FROM bear

Words related to born

Example sentences from the Web for born

British Dictionary definitions for born (1 of 5)

verb

adjective

usage for born

British Dictionary definitions for born (2 of 5)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for born (3 of 5)

noun the Bear

British Dictionary definitions for born (4 of 5)

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

Word Origin for bear

British Dictionary definitions for born (5 of 5)

noun plural bears or bear

verb bears, bearing or beared

Word Origin for bear

Idioms and Phrases with born (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with born (2 of 2)