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

See Examples For:

bear market

Still, she reckons the recent decline is more likely a temporary repricing process, rather than the beginning of a prolonged bear market for the yellow metal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

As the chip sector officially enters a bear market, a BofA analyst says the recent pressure is merely “a summer reset, not a fundamental reversal.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

A bear market is defined by a drop of 20% or more from a recent peak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

That’s far from the 20% drop that classifies a bear market, Mayfield pointed out.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026

He was a bull in a bear market; and the more he lost the more he thought the inevitable "rally" in prices was due.

From The Tipster 1901, From "Wall Street Stories" by Lefevre, Edwin