bear

SayBAIR/bɛəɹ/UK/bɛə/

Pluralbears

Verbbears, bearing, bore, borne

Often confused with bare

42 meanings of bear

Practice

1
animalnouncountable or uncountable
A large, heavy mammal with thick shaggy fur, a very short tail, and flat feet, of the family Ursidae; also its meat as food.
A black bear ambled across the trail just ahead of the hikers.
In winter, many bears retreat to dens and live off their stored fat.
UsageDo not confuse it with bare (naked, uncovered), which sounds the same.
2
show a markverbtransitive
To have or show something as a visible mark or feature, such as a seal, scar, name, title, appearance, or quality.
The document bore the king's official seal in red wax.
Antique tools often bear the maker's stamp on the handle.
UsagePast tense bore: the letter bore a seal. Set phrase: bears the hallmarks of a known group.
Similarcarry, have, show, display
Note
Its natural objects are marks left by events or makers: scars, wounds, inscriptions, seals. Darwin, in On the Origin of Species (1859), notes that male stag-beetles often bear wounds from rivals' mandibles.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Charles Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species, first published in 1859. darwin-online.org.uk
Darwin's first edition says male stag-beetles often bear wounds inflicted by other males' mandibles. darwin-online.org.uk
3
put up withverbtransitive
To endure or withstand hardship, scrutiny, or difficulty; to tolerate or be patient with something.
He could barely bear the pain in the days after surgery.
They bore years of hardship before their fortunes finally improved.
UsageMostly negative with can: can't bear the noise, can't bear to watch. Bear with me means be patient.
Similarendure, tolerate, stand, take, abide
4
verbtransitive
To hold or carry in the mind; to experience or harbor an idea, feeling, or emotion.
He bore no malice toward the people who had wronged him.
It's hard not to bear some affection for the town where you grew up.
UsageSet phrases: bear a grudge (against someone), bear someone no ill will, and bear in mind that.
Similarharbor, hold, feel, nurse
Note
Feelings are carried here, and the classic cargo is resentment: to bear a grudge, to bear ill will. It can name the target directly, with no preposition, as in Shylock's "the ancient grudge I bear him" in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Shylock says "the ancient grudge I bear him" in The Merchant of Venice. folger.edu
William Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice. en.wikipedia.org
5
verbtransitive
To carry or convey something, physically or figuratively, including weapons (bear arms), banners, or things worn on the body.
The swollen river bore the fallen leaves swiftly downstream.
Messengers bear news from the distant provinces to the capital each week.
UsageForms: bear, bore, borne: bearing gifts, seeds borne by the wind. Everyday speech mostly says carry.
Similarcarry, convey, bring
Note
Carrying is the root image, and the many other senses of the verb branch out from it.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The verb's senses share an etymological root meaning 'bear, carry'. en.wiktionary.org
6
responsibilityverbtransitive
To carry the weight of, or be accountable for, blame, expense, responsibility, or the like.
The company bears full responsibility for the accident.
Taxpayers bear the expense of maintaining the public roads.
UsageSet phrases: bear the cost, bear the blame, bear responsibility for something.
Similarmeet
Oppositeshirk, evade
Note
Here bearing means answering for something. The cost, the blame or the responsibility lands on whoever bears it. The King James Bible of 1611 uses the same verb for sins: "He shall bear their iniquities."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The King James Bible was first published in 1611. wwwe.lib.cam.ac.uk
The King James Bible contains the quoted words in Isaiah 53:11, referring to bearing sins. en.wikisource.org
7
produce fruitverbtransitive or intransitive
To produce or yield something, such as fruit, crops, or interest.
The vines bore heavy clusters of grapes that season.
Young fruit trees may take several years before they bear.
UsageMost often bear fruit, which also means to succeed: the plan bore fruit.
Similarproduce, yield
Note
Trees and vines bear fruit, but they can also simply bear, with no object at all. Dryden's Britannia Rediviva (1688) shows this: "This age to blossom, and the next to bear."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
John Dryden's Britannia Rediviva contains the quoted line. gutenberg.org
Britannia Rediviva was first published in 1688. johnjburnslibrary.wordpress.com
8
have effectverbfigurativelyintransitive
To take effect, or to have influence, force, or relevance.
Several factors bear directly on the outcome of the trial.
The economist explained how interest rates bear on consumer spending.
UsageTwo patterns: something bears on a matter, and you bring pressure or skill to bear on it.
Similarimpinge
Note
Pressure turned abstract: arguments and facts press on a question the way a weight presses on a beam. Bear on can mean simply "be relevant to" or, more strongly, "have an effect on", as when new evidence bears on a verdict.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
'Bear on' can simply mean 'be relevant to'; it does not require an actual change in the outcome. en.wiktionary.org
9
give proofverbtransitive
To give written or oral testimony; figuratively, to provide or constitute evidence or proof of something.
She bore witness against the men who had attacked her.
These scars bear testimony to a long and hard life.
UsageSet phrases: bear witness to, bear testimony to, bear false witness. Bear out means confirm.
Note
With to, the subject can be a thing rather than a speaker. Achievements bear testimony to ability, and scars bear witness to a hard life. In that use the evidence speaks for itself.
10
verbtransitive
Of a thing, to have a particular relation or correspondence to something else.
The new rules bear no relation to how the job is actually done.
Her account of the evening bears little resemblance to the security footage.
UsageMostly with relation or resemblance, often negative: bears no relation to, bears little resemblance to.
Similarhave, show
11
give birthverbtransitive
To give birth to a child or offspring.
The queen bore an heir within the first year of her reign.
Women in the village often bear several children of their own.
UsageFor birth dates and places, use was born: I was born in 1990. Active: she bore three children.
Similarhave, produce, deliver, birth
12
hold upverbtransitive
To hold up, support, or sustain something.
The old bridge can no longer bear the weight of heavy trucks.
Thick stone walls bear the load of the cathedral's vaulted ceiling.
UsageSet phrase: bear the weight of: the bridge can't bear the weight of trucks.
Similarsupport, carry, hold, sustain, take
13
investornouncountable or uncountable
An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in expectation that prices will fall.
The bear shorted the stock, betting its value would tumble.
During the downturn, bears profited while more optimistic investors lost heavily.
Oppositebull
Note
This trader's word usually comes paired with bull, its hopeful opposite. A bear's deal is a wager on time: sell now, deliver later, and profit if the price falls in between. The Bank – The Stock Exchange – The Bankers (1821) already describes bears "unable to deliver their stock" who had banged the market down together. The figure is about expectation, not temperament.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Bull is bear's opposite, but the words need not appear together. gutenberg.org
A bear can sell stock for later delivery, expecting to acquire it more cheaply before delivery falls due. gutenberg.org
The cited work describes bears as unable to deliver their stock and says they jointly depressed the market. en.wiktionary.org
14
falling pricesadjective
Marked by falling prices on securities markets, or by investors' expectation that prices will drop.
The bear market dragged on for nearly two years before recovering.
Analysts described the bear sentiment gripping the trading floor.
UsageGoes before a noun: a bear market; the opposite is a bull market.
Similarbearish
Oppositebull, bullish
Note
It turns the pessimistic investor into a description of a whole market's mood. The great bear market that began in 1929 is remembered for scaring a generation of investors away from stocks.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The great bear market began in 1929. federalreservehistory.org
The downturn discouraged a generation from investing in stocks. eml.berkeley.edu

Less common meanings

15
directionverbintransitive
To head or lie in a particular direction or compass bearing from a point.
After the bridge, bear right to reach the harbor.
The coastline bears sharply to the east just past the cliffs.
UsageBear left or right suggests a fork or slight bend, gentler than turn left.
Similarveer, turn, keep, curve, head
Note
Direction-giving uses it in two ways. A traveler bears left at a junction, meaning they veer gently that way or take the left-hand fork. A place bears north of another, meaning it lies in that direction. The sense began at sea, where a ship bears due south on its compass reading.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The directional sense of bear was originally nautical. en.wiktionary.org
16
tough tasknouncolloquialUScountable or uncountable
A difficult, wearisome task or problem; a burden or chore.
Like wrestling something far bigger than you: exhausting and hard to win.
The final exam turned out to be a real bear.
Moving all that furniture upstairs was a total bear.
UsageUse a bear to + verb: this lid is a bear to remove. A real bear adds emphasis.
Similarpain, nightmare, headache, chore, drag
Oppositebreeze, cinch, doddle
17
pushverbintransitivewith on
To push, thrust, or press, especially upon or against something.
The crowd bore against the barriers at the front of the stage.
Bear down firmly on the stamp to leave a clear impression.
UsageOften bear down on or bear against: bear down firmly on the lever.
Similarpress, push, lean, thrust
Note
A rope frays where it bears on a wheel's rim, and a crowd bears against barriers. The Spectator's "bear hard upon the suspected party" shows how easily it shifts from bodies to people. That shift leads to the sense of relevance.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The words 'bear hard upon the suspected party' occur in The Spectator. gutenberg.org
18
call forverbtransitive
To warrant or justify a particular action, which usually follows as an -ing form.
Several claims in the report bear closer examination.
It bears mentioning that the offer expires on Friday.
UsageSet phrases: bears repeating, bears mentioning, bears closer examination. Different from can't bear watching (can't stand it).
Similarmerit, deserve, warrant
Note
The -ing form that follows has a passive meaning: a storm that bears monitoring deserves to be monitored.
19
hairy mannounslangcountable or uncountable
A large, hairy man, especially one who is gay.
He identifies as a bear and is active in the local community.
The bar is popular with bears and their admirers.
Oppositetwink
Note
Gay slang that is mostly self-chosen: a type, an identity and a whole scene at once. Personal ads in Gay Community News in 1990 already sought a "bear" by build: big, masculine, moustached. Social organizations for bears now exist across the United States. Its opposite in the same slang is twink. Richard Goldstein's "Why I'm Not a Bear" shows that not everyone who fits the look wants the label.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
A 1990 personal advertisement in Gay Community News sought a bear described as large, masculine and moustached; Wiktionary identifies the issue as December 9, 1990. en.wiktionary.org
Bear social organizations exist across the United States; the source describes clubs and lists gatherings in several American regions. en.wikipedia.org
Richard Goldstein wrote "Why I'm Not a Bear" and described fitting the physical stereotype while rejecting identification with it. en.wiktionary.org
20
nouncountable
A teddy bear or other soft toy with the appearance of a bear.
The toddler refused to leave the house without her favorite bear tucked under one arm.
Shelves of plush bears lined the gift shop near the hospital entrance.
Similarteddy
21
behaveverbreflexivetransitive
To conduct or behave oneself in a particular way.
He bore himself with quiet dignity throughout the trial.
They bear themselves like seasoned professionals.
UsageFollowed by a manner word: bore himself with dignity, bear yourselves well. Formal and slightly old-fashioned.
Similarcarry, conduct, comport, hold
Note
Shakespeare's Measure for Measure asks, "Hath he borne himself penitently in prison?" It praises or judges composure under pressure, not everyday behavior.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Measure for Measure is by William Shakespeare. folger.edu
The quotation occurs in Measure for Measure, spoken by the Duke disguised as a friar. folger.edu
22
verbtransitive
To possess a certain reputation, recognition, or renown, or to have a particular price, value, or worth.
Similarcarry, command, hold, have
23
verbtransitive
To admit or be capable of a meaning; to withstand something without harm or change.
The text can bear several different interpretations.
Good linen bears years of washing without losing its shape.
UsageOften with can or will not: words that can bear two meanings.
Similarwithstand, survive, admit, allow
Note
The subject is usually words, a claim or an argument, and the question is how much it can take. Swift's Drapier's Letters urges the most favorable reading that words "can possibly bear". This differs from the sense of enduring hardship: here nothing suffers, and a text simply holds a meaning or fails under scrutiny.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Swift’s Drapier’s Letters contains the quoted phrase in a passage advocating the most favourable interpretation of words; the passage reports Chief Justice Holt’s opinion. en.wikisource.org
24
rude personnounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
A rough, rude, badly mannered person.
Like a short-tempered creature that snaps at anyone who comes near.
The old shopkeeper was a bear to anyone who browsed without buying.
He can be a bear in the mornings before his coffee.
Similargrouch, grump, boor, brute
25
verbtransitive
To provide someone with something, or to be something to them.
UsageToday mostly bear someone company, a literary alternative to keep someone company.
Similarkeep
Note
In Pope's An Essay on Man, the poor Indian trusts that "His faithful dog shall bear him company." It casts companionship as something given rather than simply shared.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Alexander Pope wrote An Essay on Man. gutenberg.org
The poem contains the exact quotation given. gutenberg.org
26
nounslangUS
A highway patrol officer, a nickname from the hat worn by the fire-safety mascot Smokey Bear, used chiefly by truck drivers on CB radio.
27
nounAustralia
An informal name for the koala, the tree-dwelling Australian marsupial, which is not a true bear.
28
noun
A small hand-operated machine that can be carried about for punching holes in metal plates.
29
noun
A heavy block wrapped in rough matting, dragged back and forth to scrub a ship's deck clean.
30
noun
In Lenormand fortune-telling, card number 15 of the deck, showing a bear.
31
verb
To try to push down the market price of a stock or commodity, for example by selling it in large amounts.
32
verbrare
To be pregnant with a child or young, carrying it in the womb before birth.
33
verb
In heraldry, to show a particular emblem on one's shield or arms, or to have the right to use it.
34
verb
To have a limb, organ or other body part, or, of a body part, to have another part attached to it.
35
verbrare
To hold and show a feeling such as respect, loyalty or reverence toward someone or something.
36
verbrare
To wield authority or sway over others, or to fill a post such as a public office.
Every man should bear rule in his own house.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James Version
37
verbobsolete
To carry heavy loads, as a pack animal or porter does.
38
verbobsolete
To escort someone, bringing them along to where one is going.
Bear them to my house.
c. 1594, William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”
39
verb
Of guns or cannon, to be trained on something that is to be fired upon.
40
verbobsolete
To win something such as a prize or victory and carry it off.
Some think to bear it by speaking a great word.
1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Seeming Wise”
41
noun
A variant spelling of bere, a hardy kind of barley grown in Scotland.
42
noun
Another way of writing bere, a cloth cover for a pillow.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bear apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 13–14, 16, 19–20, 24

From Old English bera, probably meaning 'the brown one' (compare brown, bruin, beaver). Germanic speakers are thought to have used this nickname because saying the animal's real name was taboo, though some scholars prefer a root meaning 'wild animal'.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

The animal name descends from Old English bera. en.wiktionary.org
The name probably originally meant 'the brown one'. en.wiktionary.org
The proposed brown-root etymology connects bear with brown, bruin and beaver. en.wiktionary.org
Germanic speakers are thought to have substituted this nickname to avoid a taboo animal name. en.wikipedia.org
An alternative scholarly explanation derives bear from a root meaning 'wild animal'. en.wikipedia.org

Meanings 2–12, 15, 17–18, 21–23, 25

The verb comes from Middle English 'beren' ('carry, bring forth') and Old English 'beran' ('to carry, bear, bring'), from Proto-Germanic *beraną and Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ('to bear, carry'). It is akin to Latin 'ferō', Ancient Greek 'phérō', and Sanskrit 'bharati'.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

The verb derives from Middle English beren, meaning 'carry, bring forth'. en.wiktionary.org
Its Old English ancestor is beran, meaning 'to carry, bear, bring'. en.wiktionary.org
The verb ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *beraną. en.wiktionary.org
The ultimate Proto-Indo-European root is *bʰer-, meaning 'to bear, carry'. en.wiktionary.org
The verb is cognate with Latin ferō, Ancient Greek phérō, and Sanskrit bharati. en.wiktionary.org