Bear Definition

bâr
bearing, bears, bore, born, borne
verb
bearing, bears, bore, born, borne
To carry (something) on one's person from one place to another.
Bore the suitcase to the station.
American Heritage
To hold and take along; carry; transport.
Webster's New World
To be productive.
The tree bears well.
Webster's New World
To move from one place to another while containing or supporting (something); convey or transport.
A train bearing grain.
American Heritage
To hold in the mind.
To bear a secret.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
noun
bears
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.
Webster's New World
A person who is clumsy, rude, gruff, churlish, etc.
Webster's New World
A large, clumsy, or ill-mannered person.
American Heritage
An investor who sells stocks, commodities, etc. in the belief that their price will fall.
Webster's New World
One, such as an investor, that sells securities or commodities in expectation of falling prices.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
adjective
Characterized by falling prices.
A bear market.
American Heritage
Falling in price.
A bear market.
Webster's New World

(finance, investments) Characterized by or believing to benefit of declining prices in securities markets.

The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
pronoun

A surname​.

Wiktionary
idiom
bear a relation
  • To have an association with or relevance to:

    That remark bears no relation to the matter at hand.

American Heritage
bear a resemblance
  • To be similar to; appear or function like.
American Heritage
bear down on
  • To move rapidly toward:

    The ship bore down on the abandoned vessel.

  • To affect in a harmful or adverse way:

    Financial pressures are bearing down on them.

American Heritage
bear fruit
  • To come to a satisfactory conclusion or to fruition.
American Heritage
bear in mind
  • To hold in one's mind; remember:

    Bear in mind that bridges freeze before roads.

American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Bear

Noun

Singular:
bear
Plural:
bears

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Bear

Origin of Bear

  • From Middle English beren (“carry, bring forth”), from Old English beran (“to carry, bear, bring”), from Proto-Germanic *beraną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer-, *bʰére-. Akin to Old High German beran (“carry”), Dutch baren, Gothic (baíran), Latin ferre, and Ancient Greek φέρειν (pherein), Albanian bie (“to bring, to bear”), Russian брать (brat', “to take”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English bere from Old English bera bher-2 in Indo-European roots Sense 3, probably from the proverb to sell the bear's skin before catching the bear

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Middle English bere, from Old English bera, from Proto-Germanic *berô (compare West Frisian bear, Dutch beer, German Bär, Danish bjørn).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English beren from Old English beran bher-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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