bear

Plural: bears

Noun

massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
an investor with a pessimistic market outlook; an investor who expects prices to fall and so sells now in order to buy later at a lower price
A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous), having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of the family Ursidae.
A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous), having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of the family Ursidae.
The meat of this animal.
A rough, unmannerly, uncouth person.
An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices.
A state policeman (short for Smokey Bear).
A large, hairy man, especially one who is homosexual.
A koala (bear).
A portable punching machine.
A block covered with coarse matting, used to scour the deck.
The fifteenth Lenormand card.
Something difficult or tiresome; a burden or chore.
Alternative spelling of bere (“barley”).
Alternative spelling of bere (“pillowcase”).

Verb

Verb Forms: bore, borne, born, bearing, bears

To endure a difficulty; to carry or support.
have
- "bear a resemblance"
- "bear a signature"
cause to be born
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
- "I cannot bear his constant criticism"
move while holding up or supporting
- "Bear gifts"
- "bear a heavy load"
- "bear news"
- "bearing orders"
bring forth,
take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person
- "She agreed to bear the responsibility"
contain or hold; have within
bring in
- "interest-bearing accounts"
have on one's person
- "bear a scar"
behave in a certain manner
have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices
- "She bears the title of Duchess"
support or hold in a certain manner
be pregnant with
- "She is bearing his child"
To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To carry (weapons, flags or symbols of rank, office, etc.) upon one's person, especially visibly; to be equipped with (weapons, etc.).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To wear (garments, pieces of jewellery, etc.).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To carry (offspring in the womb), to be pregnant (with).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To have or display (a mark or other feature).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To display (a particular heraldic device) on a shield or coat of arms; to be entitled to wear or use (a heraldic device) as a coat of arms.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To present or exhibit (a particular outward appearance); to have (a certain look).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To have (a name, title, or designation).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To possess or enjoy (recognition, renown, a reputation, etc.); to have (a particular price, value, or worth).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To have (interest or a specified rate of interest) stipulated in its terms.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To have (an appendage, organ, etc.) as part of the body; (of a part of the body) to have (an appendage).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To carry or hold in the mind; to experience, entertain, harbour (an idea, feeling, or emotion).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To feel and show (respect, reverence, loyalty, etc.) to, towards, or unto a person or thing.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To possess inherently (a quality, attribute, power, or capacity); to have and display as an essential characteristic.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To have (a relation, correspondence, etc.) to something else.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To give (written or oral testimony or evidence); (figurative) to provide or constitute (evidence or proof), give witness.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To have (a certain meaning, intent, or effect).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To behave or conduct (oneself).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To possess and use, to exercise (power or influence); to hold (an office, rank, or position).
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To carry a burden or burdens.
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.
To take or bring (a person) with oneself; to conduct.
To support, sustain, or endure.
To support or sustain; to hold up.
To support, sustain, or endure.
To endure or withstand (hardship, scrutiny, etc.); to tolerate; to be patient (with).
To support, sustain, or endure.
To sustain, or be answerable for (blame, expense, responsibility, etc.).
To support, sustain, or endure.
To admit or be capable of (a meaning); to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change.
To support, sustain, or endure.
To warrant, justify the need for.
To support, keep up, or maintain.
To afford, to be something to someone, to supply with something.
To support, keep up, or maintain.
To carry on, or maintain; to have.
To press or impinge upon.
To push, thrust, press.
To press or impinge upon.
To take effect; to have influence or force; to be relevant.
To press or impinge upon.
Of a weapon, to be aimed at an enemy or other target.
To produce, yield, give birth to.
To give birth to (someone or something) (may take the father of the direct object as an indirect object).
To produce, yield, give birth to.
To produce or yield something, such as fruit or crops.
To be, or head, in a specific direction or azimuth (from somewhere).
To gain or win.

Adj

Characterized by declining prices in securities markets or by belief that the prices will fall.

Examples

By my readings, we're bearing due south, so we should turn about ten degrees east.
Carry on past the church and then bear left at the junction.
Great Falls bears north of Bozeman.
He bore the look of a defeated man.
His achievements bear testimony to his ability.
How does this bear on the question?
I can’t bear to see so many vowels on my Scrabble rack.
I would never move to Texas — I can't bear heat.
In Troy she becomes Paris’ wife, bearing him several children, all of whom die in infancy.
It doesn’t bear thinking about.
Judging from the look on his face, he wasn't bearing good news.
Only the male Indian elephant bears tusks.
Please bear with me as I try to find the book you need.
She bore herself well throughout the ordeal.
She still bears the scars from a cycling accident.
That window can be a bear to open.
The bond bears a fixed interest rate of 3.5%.
The brothers had always borne one another respect.
The cannons were wheeled around to bear upon the advancing troops.
The dictator bears a terrible reputation for cruelty.
The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.
The hirer must bear the cost of any repairs.
The jury could see he was bearing false witness.
The little boat bore us to our destination.
The pain is too much for me to bear.
The punishment bears no relation to the crime.
The queen bore the royal scepter and crown as she processed into the hall.
the right to bear arms
The rope has frayed where it bears on the rim of the wheel.
The scan showed that the ewe was bearing twins.
The school still bears the name of its founder.
The shield bore a red cross.
The stone bears a short inscription.
The twins were borne by an Italian mother.
They came bearing gifts.
This bears all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack.
This plant's light and fluffy seeds may be borne by the wind to remote islands.
This reasoning will not bear much analysis.
This stone bears most of the weight.
This storm definitely bears monitoring.
This word no longer bears its original meaning.
This year our apple trees bore a good crop of fruit.
to bear a grudge, to bear ill will
to bear a railroad stock
to bear life
to bear the market
to bring arguments to bear
We had barbecued bear for dinner.
what the market will bear

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English bere, from Old English bera, from Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô (compare West Frisian bear, Dutch beer, German Bär, Danish bjørn).
etymology notes
This is generally taken to be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“shining, brown”) (compare Tocharian A parno, Tocharian B perne (“radiant, luminous”), Lithuanian bė́ras (“brown”)), related to brown, bruin, and beaver.
On this theory, the Germanic languages replaced the older name of the bear, *h₂ŕ̥tḱos, with the epithet "brown one", presumably due to taboo avoidance; compare Russian медве́дь (medvédʹ, “bear”, literally “honey-eater”).
However, Ringe (2006:106) doubts the existence of a root *bʰer- meaning "brown" ("an actual PIE word of [the requisite] shape and meaning is not recoverable") and suggests that a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰwer- (“wild animal”) "should therefore perhaps be preferred", implying a Germanic merger of *ǵʰw and *gʷʰ (*gʷʰ may sometimes result in Germanic *b, perhaps e.g. in *bidjaną, but it also seems to have given the g in gun and the w in warm).

Synonyms

abide, accept, acquit, assume, behave, birth, brook, carry, comport, conduct, contain, deliver, deport, digest, endure, expect, gestate, give birth, have, have a bun in the oven, hold, pay, put up, stand, stick out, stomach, suffer, support, take over, tolerate, turn out, wear, yield, abear, aby, allow, bear, bide, bruin, dree, forbear, go along with, live with, meet, pass, pocket, police officer, pouch, put up with, stick, swallow, take, take sitting down, thole, troublemaker, undergang, undergo, ursid

Antonyms

bull, twink

Scrabble Score: 6

bear: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
bear: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
bear: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

bear: valid Words With Friends Word