bear market

American

[bair mahr-kit] / ˈbɛər ˈmɑr kɪt /

noun

Stock Exchange.

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

bear market Cultural

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Over that time an average of about 100 funds were liquidated each year, with 2009, the trough of a bear market, seeing the highest number.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

An IRA conversion is taxable at the value of the account converted, so a bear market is a great time to do it.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

Parets, a market technician and founder of TrendLabs, said in Wednesday commentary that it suggested a bear market for stocks has been cancelled.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

And there are growing worries that the tech-heavy index could soon find itself in a bear market —a drop of 20%.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Truth is, Mr. Welborn, I'm not posted on the bear market.

From David Lannarck, Midget An Adventure Story by Harney, George S.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023