bear
bear (ber)
transitive verb bore, borne or born, bearing bear′·ing
- to hold and take along; carry; transport
- 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
- to undergo successfully; withstand; endure her work won't bear scrutiny
- 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
- to lie in a given direction the lighthouse bears due east
- to point or be aimed toward: with on or upon artillery deployed to bear on the fort
- 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 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
bear up
bring to bear on
or bring to bear uponbear (ber)
- 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
Related Forms:
- bearlike bear′·like′ adjective
be a bear for punishment
the Bear
Bear (ber)
Etymology: for the grizzly bears once abundant in the region
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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