bearing

[ bair-ing ]
See synonyms for: bearingbearings on Thesaurus.com

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

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

  1. something that is produced; a crop.

  2. the act of enduring or capacity to endure.

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

  4. 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.

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

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

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

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

Origin of bearing

1
First recorded in 1200–50, bearing is from the Middle English word beryng.See bear1, -ing1

synonym study For bearing

1. See manner1.

Other words for bearing

Other words from bearing

  • un·bear·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bearing in a sentence

  • I would not have one dead unbearing branch in the genealogical tree of the Sargents.

    The True Benjamin Franklin | Sydney George Fisher
  • Oh, but it's luck Duncan found the nest before it got so unbearing hot!

    Freckles | Gene Stratton-Porter

British Dictionary definitions for bearing

bearing

/ (ˈbɛərɪŋ) /


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

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

  1. 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

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

  3. anything that carries weight or acts as a support

  4. 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

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

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

  7. 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