bear market

American  

[bair mahr-kit] / ˈbɛər ˈmɑr kɪt /

noun

Stock Exchange.

1. a financial market characterized by investment prices that are falling or that are forecast to fall.

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bear market Cultural  

1. A market, especially a stock market, characterized by falling prices; the opposite of a bull market.

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Etymology

Origin of bear market

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Sizzling projected earnings growth won’t protect stock investors from a bear market.

From MarketWatch

What if the market tanks and/or turns into a prolonged bear market?

From MarketWatch

So you get partial protection if a bear market hits.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hirsch focused on the trading sessions after Christmas through the first two trading days of January, claiming that bear markets often follow when the stock market declines over that period.

From MarketWatch

While much of 2025 was a victory lap for crypto, some analysts now warn that a bear market has taken hold and is here to stay.

From The Wall Street Journal