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• bear
  bear

  verb (used with object)

  to hold up; support.
• Bear
  Bear

  noun

  Mount Bear, a mountain in southern Alaska, in the Saint Elias Mountains. 14,831 feet (4,520 meters).

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bear

¹ American  

[bair] / bɛər /

verb (used with object)

bore, bare, borne, born, bearing

1. to hold up; support.

   to bear the weight of the roof.

   Synonyms:

   sustain, uphold

2. to hold or remain firm under (a load).

   The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.

3. to bring forth (young); give birth to.

   to bear a child.

4. to produce by natural growth.

   a tree that bears fruit.

   Synonyms:

   yield

5. to hold up under; be capable of.

   His claim doesn't bear close examination.

6. to press or push against.

   The crowd was borne back by the police.

   Synonyms:

   force, drive, thrust

7. to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.).

   to bear oneself erectly.

8. to conduct (oneself ).

   to bear oneself bravely.

9. to suffer; endure; undergo.

   to bear the blame.

10. 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.

    Synonyms:

    suffer, abide, brook

11. to be fit for or worthy of.

    It doesn't bear repeating.

12. to carry; bring.

    to bear gifts.

13. to carry in the mind or heart: to bear malice.

    to bear love;

    to bear malice.

14. to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).

15. to render; afford; give: to bear testimony.

    to bear witness;

    to bear testimony.

16. to lead; guide; take.

    They bore him home.

17. to have and be entitled to.

    to bear title.

18. to exhibit; show.

    to bear a resemblance.

19. to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear the cost.

    to bear responsibility;

    to bear the cost.

20. to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively.

    the relation that price bears to profit.

21. to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear an inscription.

    to bear traces;

    to bear an inscription.

22. to have and use; exercise: to bear sway.

    to bear authority;

    to bear sway.

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verb (used without object)

bore, bare, borne, born, bearing

1. to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear left at the fork in the road.

   to bear west;

   to bear left at the fork in the road.

2. to be located or situated.

   The lighthouse bears due north.

3. to bring forth young or fruit.

   Next year the tree will bear.

verb phrase

1. bear with to be patient or forbearing with.

   Please bear with me until I finish the story.

2. bear down on / upon

   1. to press or weigh down on.

   2. to strive toward.

   3. to approach something rapidly.

   4. Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward.

      The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.

3. bear up to endure; face hardship bravely.

   It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.

4. bear out to substantiate; confirm.

   The facts bear me out.

5. bear off

   1. Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.

   2. Nautical. to steer away.

   3. Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.

6. bear on / upon to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to.

   This information may bear on the case.

7. bear down

   1. to press or weigh down.

   2. to strive harder; intensify one's efforts.

      We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.

   3. Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship.

      The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.

idioms

1. bear false witness. see bear false witness.

2. bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose.

   Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.

3. bear witness. see bear witness.

bear ² American  

[bair] / bɛər /

noun

• bears,
  plural
• bear
  plural

1. 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.

2. any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.

3. a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.

4. a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull).

5. Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc..

   a bear for physics.

6. Astronomy. Bear, either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.

7. Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.

8. Bear. Russia.

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adjective

1. having to do with or marked by declining prices, as of stocks.

   bear market.

verb (used with object)

beared, bearing

1. Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).

idioms

1. loaded for bear, fully prepared and eager to initiate or deal with a fight, confrontation, or trouble.

   Keep away from the boss—he's loaded for bear today.

Bear ³ American  

[bair] / bɛər /

noun

1. Mount Bear, a mountain in southern Alaska, in the Saint Elias Mountains. 14,831 feet (4,520 meters).

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bear ¹ British  

/ bɛə /

verb

1. to support or hold up; sustain

2. to bring or convey

   to bear gifts

3. to take, accept, or assume the responsibility of

   to bear an expense

4. (past participle bornin passive use except when foll by by) to give birth to

   to bear children

5. (also intr) to produce by or as if by natural growth

   to bear fruit

6. to tolerate or endure

   she couldn't bear him

7. to admit of; sustain

   his story does not bear scrutiny

8. to hold in the conscious mind or in one's feelings

   to bear a grudge

   I'll bear that idea in mind

9. to show or be marked with

   he still bears the scars

10. to transmit or spread

    to bear gossip

11. to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness )

12. to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc)

    she bore her head high

13. to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison)

    his account bears no relation to the facts

14. (intr) to move, be located, or lie in a specified direction

    the way bears east

15. to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title )

16. to give assistance

17. to bring into operation or effect

    he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation

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bear ² British  

/ bɛə /

noun

1. 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

2. any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear

3. a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person

4. a teddy bear

5. stock exchange

   1. a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare bull 1

      a bear market

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verb

1. (tr) to lower or attempt to lower the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative selling

Bear ³ British  

/ bɛə /

noun

1. the English name for Ursa Major Ursa Minor

2. an informal name for Russia

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bear More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bear

• bring to bear
• cross as a bear
• cross to bear
• grin and bear it
• loaded for bear

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Usage

What’s the difference between bear and bare? As a verb, bear commonly means to endure something negative (as in I can’t bear to watch) or to carry, hold up, or support (as in The roof can’t bear that much weight), while as a noun it refers to the big furry animal (like grizzly bears and polar bears). Bare can be an adjective that means uncovered (as in bare feet) or empty or without the usual contents (as in bare cabinets or bare walls), or a verb meaning to reveal or open to view (as in bare your secrets). Bare is most commonly used as an adjective, usually involving something uncovered or empty. As a verb, bear is often used in the context of holding or carrying things, including in literal, physical ways (as in bear a load or bear weight) and in figurative ones (as in bear a grudge). To remember the difference in spelling, remember that bears have ears, and they are able to bear a lot of weight because of how big and strong they are, but they are never bare because they are covered in fur. Here’s an example of bear and bare used correctly in a sentence. Example: Why does the bear never wear shoes? Because he prefers bare feet. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between bear and bare.

Commonly Confused

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.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bearlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bear
  plural
• bears
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bear¹

First recorded 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; from Indo-European bher- ( see -fer, -phore)

Origin of bear²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bere, beare, beor(e), Old English bera; cognate with Frisian bār, Dutch beer, Old High German bero, German Bär; from Proto-Germanic beran- literally, “the brown one”; akin to Old Norse bjǫrn, bersi; compare Lithuanian bė́ras “brown”; cf. bruin

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Explanation

To bear is to carry or endure, whether by physical or mental force. If you can bear to read on, you'll find out all the different ways to use the word bear. Obviously you know the big hairy mountain-roaming animal, but you might not have heard about a bear on Wall Street — an investor who is pessimistic about the market. In its verb form, bear is rooted in the Old English beran, meaning “to bring forth, sustain, endure” and more. So you can bear (or carry) a grudge. You can bear (or give birth to) children. Or you can bear (or stand) to listen to your great aunt tell the same story for the umpteenth time if you have a kind soul.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bear Bear bears bare beared bearing bore born borne

Support roles are predicted to bear the brunt as "AI makes our people more productive", the bank said, according to the paper.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Brundo had set up a Styrofoam deer and a bear on the back of his property to entertain archer Nugent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

It was a blackly comic story of the pressures of the modern economy—and, in particular, of how they bear down on men in their traditional roles as providers and patriarchs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

To women of a certain mood, though, it confirms what we already know: that a bear is preferable company to thoughtless, dangerous people.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

He guessed that they knew about the bear.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

British producer Jamie xx adds production to the glittery electropop tune “Every Single Weekend,” while Panda Bear lends his distinctive high tenor to the mellow indie-pop track “Highfield.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

He offers the same recommendation when BofA’s Bull & Bear Indicator, a composite measure, rises above 5.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In one of many jibes aimed at Burnham, Badenoch labelled him a "Paddington Bear prime minister" who was "hoping that the problems will just go away".

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

More than a thousand fans shed tears of grief and recalled fond memories Saturday in Big Bear as they celebrated the life of a beloved reality star.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Nine minutes later, as Bill Miller explained why it was such a good idea to own stock in Bear Stearns, Alan Schwartz had issued a press release.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

And as head coach, Carrick bears significant responsibility for that.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

A Netflix spokesman said the company “disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

And then, inflation data gave bond bears exactly what they wanted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The documents said that would be "crucial in establishing a mental health defense", adding that "bears on the issue of guilt".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“No. We’ve never had the same spiritual connection to polar bears as the Inuit,” said George.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

The state was apportioned a bare 300,000 acre-feet a year in 1928, when Las Vegas was merely a dusty outpost miles from the Hoover Dam construction site.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

For a player who would have automatic qualification for the WTA Finals down as a bare minimum for her yearly expectations, there seems little sense in Swiatek continuing.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Earlier this year, the country’s intelligence agency warned young people to resist “lying flat,” a buzzword for doing the bare minimum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

It appears that most of those terrestrial planets don't -- they're just bare rock.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

That meager bowl of cabbage broth—so bare, I wouldn’t even call it a soup—failed to satisfy my hearty appetite.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

“He just beared down and made pitches when he needed to,” manager Dave Roberts said, “versus feeling it with the mechanics or being uncertain.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

“The guys put their mind to it and beared down. Kind of: ‘Enough’s enough,’” Reid said.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2021

Wrestling fans around the world beared witness to some of the most iconic moments in WWE history at Sunday night’s edition of WrestleMania.

From Fox News ● Apr. 8, 2019

“He gave up a lot of hits but beared down when he had to. He pitched well enough to win and he pitched well enough to lose. We just couldn’t score.”

From Washington Times ● Jun. 10, 2017

After a hesitation, he turned back to Kira and said in a low voice, ‘‘I beared them talking.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

The room still features a personalized touch: an island bearing Foreman’s initials, “G.F.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

His expensive loafers and a Starbucks cup bearing a different name eventually raised suspicions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

The once-reliable negative correlation between incomes and child bearing has flipped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Wardley, sporting Ipswich Town's newly-launched third kit with his name printed on the sleeve, was still bearing the scars of his punishing defeat in Manchester five months ago.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

I shifted gingerly on the bed, my back stiff from bearing the weight of all those petticoats—perhaps wearing ten was too many.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

All of the sparkle of that film has turned to ash in this superfluous and inert bore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Seoul and Tokyo again bore the brunt of the selling as traders bailed out of once-imperious chipmakers, though the selling was heavy across most of the region, tracking sharp losses on Wall Street.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sentenced to 10 years, he bore the injustice nobly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

What would Ian Wright make of the prank that bore his name?

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

A black, buzzing cloud streaked from the orchard, and bore on so rapidly and passed so close to Coll’s head that he had to leap out of the way.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

He was born to Moroccan parents and raised in a rough neighborhood in Eilat, at Israel’s southern tip.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

From the other end of the country, artist Tomasa del Real, born Valeria Cisternas, began to approach music with a similar ethos in her hometown of Iquique, which sits on Chile’s northern coast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Paul Flack was born in Enfield in north London, but his family later moved to Norwich, where he lived much of his life.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Babies born between 2025 and 2028 are eligible to receive $1,000 in seed money for these accounts from the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

They’d both been born in the old country.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Michigan’s manufacturing supply chains are deeply integrated with Canada, and small businesses especially have borne the tariff brunt since they have less capacity to absorb the costs than larger companies do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

That is borne out in research, which shows relational organizing works because young people trust their neighbors or community networks far more than national parties.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

"To see those predictions borne out is a beautiful thing."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

These include any number of household-name technology giants whose stocks have been borne aloft to epic valuations by AI hopes and ambitions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

I don’t think Maxim could have borne it, with Beatrice sitting here, staying in the house, sincere, anxious, and affectionate, but asking questions all the time.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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