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

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

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

Stocks came within a whisker of a new bear market, Treasury yields spiked and the VIX “fear gauge” reached a level not seen since the Covid-19 panic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Despite gold’s recent foray into bear market territory, the macro case for buying the commodity remains solid, according to a strategist for a $1.5 billion Houston investment firm.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

It refers to a person who believes that the market value of stocks will decline, and a bear market is a declining market.

From Successful Stock Speculation by Butler, John James