bearing

[bair-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bearing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the manner in which one conducts or carries oneself, including posture and gestures: a man of dignified bearing.

the act, capability, or period of producing or bringing forth: a tree past bearing.

something that is produced; a crop.

the act of enduring or capacity to endure.

reference or relation (usually followed by on): It has some bearing on the problem.

Architecture.

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

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

Often bearings. direction or relative position: The pilot radioed his bearings.

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

Heraldry. any single device on an escutcheon; charge.

Origin of bearing

First recorded in 1200–50, bearing is from the Middle English word beryng. See bear¹, -ing¹

Related formsun·bear·ing, adjective

Synonyms for bearing

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bearing ON THESAURUS.COM

1. carriage, mien, demeanor, behavior, conduct. See manner¹. 5. connection, dependency; application. 8. course, aim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for unbearing

sterile, impotent, desolate, arid, parched, impoverished, infertile, empty, dry, fallow, waste, desert, barren, drained, effete, exhausted, unfruitful, unproductive, infecund, nonproductive

Examples from the Web for unbearing

Historical Examples of unbearing

Oh, but it's luck Duncan found the nest before it got so unbearing hot!
Freckles
Gene Stratton-Porter

British Dictionary definitions for unbearing

bearing

noun

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

(foll by on or upon) relevance (to)it has no bearing on this problem

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

the act, period, or capability of producing fruit or young
an amount produced; yield

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

anything that carries weight or acts as a support

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

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

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

heraldry

a device or emblem on a heraldic shield; charge
another name for coat of arms

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for unbearing

bearing

"carrying of oneself, deportment," mid-13c., verbal noun from bear (v.). Mechanical sense of "part of a machine that bears the friction" is from 1791.