bearing

American  

[bair-ing] / ˈbɛər ɪŋ /

noun

• bearings
  plural

1. the manner in which one conducts or carries oneself, including posture and gestures.

   a man of dignified bearing.

   Synonyms:

   conduct, behavior, demeanor, mien, carriage

2. the act, capability, or period of producing or bringing forth.

   a tree past bearing.

3. something that is produced; a crop.

4. the act of enduring or capacity to endure.

5. reference or relation (usually followed byon ).

   It has some bearing on the problem.

   Synonyms:

   application, dependency, connection

6. Architecture.

   1. a supporting part of a structure.

   2. the area of contact between a bearing member, as a beam, and a pier, wall, or other underlying support.

7. Machinery. the support and guide for a rotating, oscillating, or sliding shaft, pivot, or wheel.

8. Often bearings. direction or relative position.

   The pilot radioed his bearings.

   Synonyms:

   aim, course

9. Surveying. a horizontal direction expressed in degrees east or west of a true or magnetic north or south direction.

10. Heraldry. any single device on an escutcheon; charge.

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bearing British  

/ ˈbɛərɪŋ /

noun

1. a support, guide, or locating piece for a rotating or reciprocating mechanical part

2. relevance (to)

   it has no bearing on this problem

3. a person's general social conduct, esp in manners, dress, and behaviour

4. 1. the act, period, or capability of producing fruit or young

   2. an amount produced; yield

5. the part of a beam or lintel that rests on a support

6. anything that carries weight or acts as a support

7. the angular direction of a line, point, or course measured from true north or south ( true bearing ), magnetic north or south ( magnetic bearing ), or one's own position

8. (usually plural) the position or direction, as of a ship, fixed with reference to two or more known points

9. (usually plural) a sense of one's relative position or situation; orientation (esp in the phrases lose , get , or take one's bearings )

10. heraldry

    1. a device or emblem on a heraldic shield; charge

    2. another name for coat of arms

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Synonym Usage

See manner ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unbearing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bearings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bearing

First recorded in 1200–50, bearing is from the Middle English word beryng. See bear ¹, -ing ¹

Explanation

When you walk into a room with your shoulders straight and your head up, people might say you have a noble bearing. Bearing is the way you hold your body, and it often means you hold it well. Bearing has many uses, but they mostly involve support and/or direction. Bearing, for example, is the name given to a mechanical part that supports a moving joint — like a ball bearing. In buildings, bearings are walls or beams that support the building. In the same way, when you carry your body, you are bearing yourself up. Bearing also is used to talk about direction and travel: you could step off the sidewalk and nearly be run over by a car bearing north.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bearing bearings

Nori Juba, 61, found what he was looking for: a large sign bearing the name of Grand Central station, along with the numbers of the subway lines he takes every day.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

An El Niño-fueled Kelvin wave is bearing down on the Southern California shoreline, bringing with it the boosted risk of significant coastal flooding and beach erosion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

From going unbeaten in his opening nine games with a refreshing brand of football, the consensus was things had gone flat and that the head coach was bearing the brunt of it.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The bill also will require grocery stores in California to prominently display products bearing the “Non-Ultraprocessed Certified” seal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

A gold glittery star bearing Arletta’s name in looping fuchsia cursive sparkled on the door.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

The straight lines on the Peters map do not represent true constant compass bearings and so are useless for navigation.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Then once he started to find his bearings, UCLA’s coach was fired.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas recently published a report for clients, flagging makers of bearings as potential “picks and shovels” plays for the robotics boom.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

“The second is the component layer beneath them, the motors, reducers, bearings, sensors, and power content inside the machines themselves.”

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

He was brown, like the boys, wore dark goggles cinched tight through a mane of coiled dreadlocks that whipped about as he got his bearings.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

Related Words

• demeanor
• manner