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bear

bear¹ definition

bear (ber)

transitive verb bore, borne or born, bearing bear′·ing

1. to hold and take along; carry; transport
2. to hold in the mind to bear a secret
to possess as a part, characteristic, attribute, etc.; have or show the letter bore his signature
to give birth to: the passive past participle in this sense is born when by does not follow
to bring forth; produce or yield fruit-bearing trees, coal-bearing strata
to support or hold up; sustain
to sustain the burden of; take on; take care of to bear the cost
1. to undergo successfully; withstand; endure her work won't bear scrutiny
2. to put up with; tolerate she can't bear him
to call for; require his actions bear watching
to carry or conduct (oneself)
to carry over or hold (a sentiment) to bear a grudge
to bring and tell (a message, tales, etc.)
to move or push as if carrying the crowd bore us along
to give, offer, or supply to bear witness

Etymology: ME beren < OE beran < IE base *bher-, to carry, bring > L ferre, Gr pherein, Sans bharati, (he) bears

intransitive verb

to be productive the tree bears well
1. to lie in a given direction the lighthouse bears due east
2. to point or be aimed toward: with on or upon artillery deployed to bear on the fort
3. to move in a given direction bear right at the corner
to have bearing (on); have a relation his story bears on the crime
to tolerate; put up patiently (with)
to be oppressive; weigh grief bears heavily on her

bear Idioms

bear a hand

to give help
Naut. get to work!help out!work faster!

bear down

to press or push down; exert pressure
to make a strong effort

bear down on

to press down on; exert pressure on
to make a strong effort toward accomplishing
to come or go toward; closely approach

bear out

to show to be true; support or confirm

bear up

to endure, as under a strain; keep up one's spirits

bring to bear on

or bring to bear upon

to cause to have an effect on he brought his influence to bear on the lawmakers

bear² definition

bear (ber)

noun pl. bears or bear

any of a family (Ursidae) of large, heavy, omnivorous carnivores that walk flat on the soles of their feet and have shaggy fur and a very short tail: bears are native to temperate and arctic zones
a person who is clumsy, rude, gruff, churlish, etc.
Etymology: short for bearskin jobber < phr. to sell the bearskin, i.e., to sell the skin before the bear is caught
a person who believes prices on the stock or commodity markets are going to decline, esp. one who sells shares, etc. in the expectation of buying them later at a lower price
☆ Slang a difficult task checking these computer files is a real bear

Etymology: ME bere < OE bera < IE *bheros, brown animal < base *bher-, brown (> brown, beaver, L fiber): orig. euphemism for taboo name prob. seen in L ursus

adjective

falling in price a bear market

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