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.

---

bear market Cultural  

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

---

Etymology

Origin of bear market

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bear market

A market correction generally means a decline of at least 10% from a recent high, while a drop of 20% or more defines a bear market.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

Some expressed hope that the latest bear market — which crypto enthusiasts have called a “crypto winter” — might finally be drawing to a close after a punishing 10-month stretch.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

“The current Bitcoin bear market is getting a little long in the tooth,” says Zach Pandl of Grayscale Research in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Some expressed hope that the latest crypto bear market — which crypto enthusiasts call a “crypto winter” — might finally be drawing to a close after a punishing 10-month stretch.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

He was a bull in a bear market; and the more he lost the more he thought the inevitable "rally" in prices was due.

From The Tipster 1901, From "Wall Street Stories" by Edwin Lefevre