# bear

Pronunciation: say "BAIR" US /bɛəɹ/, UK /bɛə/

## Noun

1. A large, heavy mammal with thick shaggy fur, a very short tail, and flat feet, of the family Ursidae; also its meat as food.
   - Simple: A big, heavy wild animal with thick fur and a very short tail, or its meat.
   - _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._
13. An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in expectation that prices will fall.
   - Simple: Someone who sells stocks because they think prices will drop.
   - _The bear shorted the stock, betting its value would tumble._
   - _During the downturn, bears profited while more optimistic investors lost heavily._
16. A difficult, wearisome task or problem; a burden or chore. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: Something that is hard to do or deal with.
   - _The final exam turned out to be a real bear._
   - _Moving all that furniture upstairs was a total bear._
19. A large, hairy man, especially one who is gay. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A large, hairy man, especially a gay man.
   - _He identifies as a bear and is active in the local community._
   - _The bar is popular with bears and their admirers._
20. A teddy bear or other soft toy with the appearance of a bear.
   - Simple: A soft toy that looks like a bear, especially a teddy 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._
24. A rough, rude, badly mannered person.
   - Simple: A rude person with rough, bad manners.
   - _The old shopkeeper was a bear to anyone who browsed without buying._
   - _He can be a bear in the mornings before his coffee._

## Verb

2. To have or show something as a visible mark or feature, such as a seal, scar, name, title, appearance, or quality.
   - Simple: To have or show a particular mark or feature.
   - _The document bore the king's official seal in red wax._
   - _Antique tools often bear the maker's stamp on the handle._
3. To endure or withstand hardship, scrutiny, or difficulty; to tolerate or be patient with something.
   - Simple: To put up with something difficult or unpleasant.
   - _He could barely bear the pain in the days after surgery._
   - _They bore years of hardship before their fortunes finally improved._
4. To hold or carry in the mind; to experience or harbor an idea, feeling, or emotion.
   - Simple: To keep a feeling or idea in your mind.
   - _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._
5. To carry or convey something, physically or figuratively, including weapons (bear arms), banners, or things worn on the body.
   - Simple: To carry something, or take it from one place to another.
   - _The swollen river bore the fallen leaves swiftly downstream._
   - _Messengers bear news from the distant provinces to the capital each week._
6. To carry the weight of, or be accountable for, blame, expense, responsibility, or the like.
   - Simple: To take on the blame, cost, or duty for something.
   - _The company bears full responsibility for the accident._
   - _Taxpayers bear the expense of maintaining the public roads._
7. To produce or yield something, such as fruit, crops, or interest.
   - Simple: To produce something, such as fruit, crops, or interest on money.
   - _The vines bore heavy clusters of grapes that season._
   - _Young fruit trees may take several years before they bear._
8. To take effect, or to have influence, force, or relevance.
   - Simple: To have an effect on something, or to be important to it.
   - _Several factors bear directly on the outcome of the trial._
   - _The economist explained how interest rates bear on consumer spending._
9. To give written or oral testimony; figuratively, to provide or constitute evidence or proof of something.
   - Simple: To give proof of something, or to speak about what you saw or know.
   - _She bore witness against the men who had attacked her._
   - _These scars bear testimony to a long and hard life._
10. Of a thing, to have a particular relation or correspondence to something else.
   - Simple: Of a thing, to have a certain link to something else, or to be like it in some way.
   - _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._
11. To give birth to a child or offspring.
   - Simple: To give birth to a baby or young.
   - _The queen bore an heir within the first year of her reign._
   - _Women in the village often bear several children of their own._
12. To hold up, support, or sustain something.
   - Simple: To hold something up so it does not fall.
   - _The old bridge can no longer bear the weight of heavy trucks._
   - _Thick stone walls bear the load of the cathedral's vaulted ceiling._
15. To head or lie in a particular direction or compass bearing from a point.
   - Simple: To go or point in a certain direction.
   - _After the bridge, bear right to reach the harbor._
   - _The coastline bears sharply to the east just past the cliffs._
17. To push, thrust, or press, especially upon or against something.
   - Simple: To push or press hard 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._
18. To warrant or justify a particular action, which usually follows as an -ing form.
   - Simple: To need or be worth some action, like being watched or said again.
   - _Several claims in the report bear closer examination._
   - _It bears mentioning that the offer expires on Friday._
21. To conduct or behave oneself in a particular way.
   - Simple: To act or behave in a certain way.
   - _He bore himself with quiet dignity throughout the trial._
   - _They bear themselves like seasoned professionals._
22. To possess a certain reputation, recognition, or renown, or to have a particular price, value, or worth.
   - Simple: To have a certain reputation, name, or worth.
23. To admit or be capable of a meaning; to withstand something without harm or change.
   - Simple: To allow a certain meaning, or to stand up to something without breaking.
   - _The text can bear several different interpretations._
   - _Good linen bears years of washing without losing its shape._
25. To provide someone with something, or to be something to them.
   - Simple: To give or provide something to someone, such as company, or to be something for them.

## Adjective

14. Marked by falling prices on securities markets, or by investors' expectation that prices will drop.
   - Simple: Showing that prices are going down or are expected to fall.
   - _The bear market dragged on for nearly two years before recovering._
   - _Analysts described the bear sentiment gripping the trading floor._

## Other meanings

- (noun) 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.
- (noun) An informal name for the koala, the tree-dwelling Australian marsupial, which is not a true bear.
- (noun) A small hand-operated machine that can be carried about for punching holes in metal plates.
- (noun) A heavy block wrapped in rough matting, dragged back and forth to scrub a ship's deck clean.
- (noun) In Lenormand fortune-telling, card number 15 of the deck, showing a bear.
- (verb) To try to push down the market price of a stock or commodity, for example by selling it in large amounts.
- (verb) To be pregnant with a child or young, carrying it in the womb before birth.
- (verb) In heraldry, to show a particular emblem on one's shield or arms, or to have the right to use it.
- (verb) To have a limb, organ or other body part, or, of a body part, to have another part attached to it.
- (verb) To hold and show a feeling such as respect, loyalty or reverence toward someone or something.
- (verb) To wield authority or sway over others, or to fill a post such as a public office.
- (verb) To carry heavy loads, as a pack animal or porter does.
- (verb) To escort someone, bringing them along to where one is going.
- (verb) Of guns or cannon, to be trained on something that is to be fired upon.
- (verb) To win something such as a prize or victory and carry it off.
- (noun) A variant spelling of bere, a hardy kind of barley grown in Scotland.
- (noun) Another way of writing bere, a cloth cover for a pillow.

## Origin

**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'.
**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'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bear (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).