Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Bear

Bear

(bâr)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Bore
(bōr)
(formerly
Bare
(bâr)
);
p. p.
Born
(bôrn)
,
Borne
(bōrn);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Bearing
.]
[OE.
beren
, AS.
beran
,
beoran
, to bear, carry, produce; akin to D.
baren
to bring forth, G.
gebären
, Goth.
baíran
to bear or carry, Icel.
bera
, Sw.
bära
, Dan.
bære
, OHG.
beran
,
peran
, L.
ferre
to bear, carry, produce, Gr.
φέρειν
, OSlav.
brati
to take, carry, OIr.
berim
I bear, Skr.
bhṛ
to bear. √92. Cf.
Fertile
.]
1.
To support or sustain; to hold up.
2.
To support and remove or carry; to convey.
I ’ll
bear
your logs the while.
Shakespeare
3.
To conduct; to bring; – said of persons.
[Obs.]
Bear
them to my house.
Shakespeare
4.
To possess and use, as power; to exercise.
Every man should
bear
rule in his own house.
Esther i. 22.
5.
To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark),
as, the tablet
bears
this inscription
.
6.
To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear;
as, to
bear
a sword, badge, or name
.
7.
To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor
Dryden.
The ancient grudge I
bear
him.
Shakespeare
8.
To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer.
Should such a man, too fond to rule alone,
Bear
, like the Turk, no brother near the throne.
Pope.
I cannot
bear

The murmur of this lake to hear.
Shelley.
My punishment is greater than I can
bear
.
Gen. iv. 13.
9.
To gain or win.
[Obs.]
Some think to
bear
it by speaking a great word.
Bacon.
She was . . . found not guilty, through
bearing
of friends and bribing of the judge.
Latimer.
10.
To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense, responsibility, etc.
He shall
bear
their iniquities.
Is. liii. 11.
Somewhat that will
bear
your charges.
Dryden.
11.
To render or give; to bring forward.
“Your testimony bear”
Dryden.
12.
To carry on, or maintain; to have.
“The credit of bearing a part in the conversation.”
Locke.
13.
To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change.
In all criminal cases the most favorable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly
bear
.
Swift.
14.
To manage, wield, or direct.
“Thus must thou thy body bear.”
Shak.
Hence:
To behave; to conduct.
Hath he
borne
himself penitently in prison?
Shakespeare
15.
To afford; to be to; to supply with.
His faithful dog shall
bear
him company.
Pope.
16.
To bring forth or produce; to yield;
as, to
bear
apples; to
bear
children; to
bear
interest
.
Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos
bore
.
Dryden.
☞ In the passive form of this verb, the best modern usage restricts the past participle born to the sense of brought forth, while borne is used in the other senses of the word. In the active form, borne alone is used as the past participle.
To bear down
.
(a)
To force into a lower place; to carry down; to depress or sink.
“His nose, . . . large as were the others, bore them down into insignificance.”
Marryat.
(b)
To overthrow or crush by force;
as, to
bear down
an enemy
.
–
To bear a hand
.
(a)
To help; to give assistance.
(b)
(Naut.)
To make haste; to be quick.
–
To bear in hand
,
to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude.
[Obs.]
“How you were borne in hand, how crossed.”
Shak.
–
To bear in mind
,
to remember.
–
To bear off
.
(a)
To restrain; to keep from approach.
(b)
(Naut.)
To remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything;
as, to
bear off
a blow; to
bear off
a boat
.
(c)
To gain; to carry off, as a prize.
(d)
(Backgammon)
To remove from the backgammon board into the home when the position of the piece and the dice provide the proper opportunity; – the goal of the game is to
bear off
all of one's men before the opponent.
–
To bear one hard
,
to owe one a grudge.
[Obs.]
“Cæsar doth bear me hard.”
Shak.
–
To bear out
.
(a)
To maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last.
“Company only can bear a man out in an ill thing.”
South.
(b)
To corroborate; to confirm.
–
To bear up
,
to support; to keep from falling or sinking.
“Religious hope bears up the mind under sufferings.”
Addison.
Syn. – To uphold; sustain; maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey; transport; waft.

Bear

(bâr)
,
Verb.
I.
1.
To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness.
This age to blossom, and the next to
bear
.
Dryden.
2.
To suffer, as in carrying a burden.
But man is born to
bear
.
Pope.
3.
To endure with patience; to be patient.
I can not, can not
bear
.
Dryden.
4.
To press; – with on or upon, or against.
These men
bear
hard on the suspected party.
Addison.
5.
To take effect; to have influence or force;
as, to bring matters to
bear
.
6.
To relate or refer; – with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question?
7.
To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect.
Her sentence
bore
that she should stand a certain time upon the platform.
Hawthorne.
8.
To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else;
as, the land
bears
N. by E.
To bear against
,
to approach for attack or seizure;
as, a lion
bears against
his prey
.
[Obs.]
–
To bear away
(Naut.)
,
to change the course of a ship, and make her run before the wind.
–
To bear back
,
to retreat.
“Bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist.”
Sir W. Scott.
–
To bear down upon
(Naut.)
,
to approach from the windward side;
as, the fleet
bore down upon
the enemy
.
–
To bear in with
(Naut.)
,
to run or tend toward;
as, a ship
bears in with
the land
.
–
To bear off
(Naut.)
,
to steer away, as from land.
–
To bear up
.
(a)
To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink;
as, to
bear up
under afflictions
.
(b)
(Naut.)
To put the helm up (or to windward) and so put the ship before the wind; to bear away.
Hamersly.
–
To bear upon
(Mil.)
,
to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to be pointed directly against, or so as to hit (the object);
as, to bring or plant guns so as to
bear upon
a fort or a ship; the artillery
bore upon
the center
.
–
To bear up to
,
to tend or move toward;
as, to
bear up to
one another
.
–
To bear with
,
to endure; to be indulgent to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.

Bear

(bēr)
,
Noun.
A bier.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Bear

(bâr)
,
Noun.
[OE.
bere
, AS.
bera
; akin to D.
beer
, OHG.
bero
,
pero
, G.
bär
, Icel. & Sw.
björn
, and possibly to L.
fera
wild beast, Gr.
φήρ
beast, Skr.
bhalla
bear.]
1.
(Zool.)
Any species of the genus
Ursus
, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade
Carnivora
, but they live largely on fruit and insects.
The European brown bear (
Ursus arctos
), the white polar bear (
Ursus maritimus
), the grizzly bear (
Ursus horribilis
), the American black bear, and its variety the cinnamon bear (
Ursus Americanus
), the Syrian bear (
Ursus Syriacus
), and the sloth bear, are among the notable species.
2.
(Zool.)
An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form or habits, but no real affinity;
as, the woolly
bear
; ant
bear
; water
bear
; sea
bear.
3.
(Astron.)
One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the
Great Bear
and the
Lesser Bear
, or
Ursa Major
and
Ursa Minor
.
4.
Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.
5.
(Stock Exchange)
A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.
☞ The bears and bulls of the Stock Exchange, whose interest it is, the one to depress, and the other to raise, stocks, are said to be so called in allusion to the bear's habit of pulling down, and the bull's of tossing up.
6.
(Mach.)
A portable punching machine.
7.
(Naut.)
A block covered with coarse matting; – used to scour the deck.
Australian bear
.
(Zool.)
See
Koala
.
–
Bear baiting
,
the sport of baiting bears with dogs.
–
Bear caterpillar
(Zool.)
,
the hairy larva of a moth, esp. of the genus
Euprepia
.
–
Bear garden
.
(a)
A place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting.
(b)
Any place where riotous conduct is common or permitted.
M. Arnold.
–
Bear leader
,
one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his travels.

Bear

,
Verb.
T.
(Stock Exchange)
To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in;
as, to
bear
a railroad stock; to
bear
the market
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Bear

BEAR

,
Verb.
T.
pret.bore; pp. born,borne. [L. fero, pario, porto. The primary sense is to throw out, to bring forth, or in general, to thrust or drive along. ]
1.
To support; to sustain; as, to bear a weight or burden.
2.
To carry; to convey; to support and remove from place to place; as, 'they bear him upon the shoulder;', 'the eagle beareth them on her wings.'
3.
To wear; to bear as a mark of authority or distinction; as, to bear a sword, a badge, a name; to bear arms in a coat.
4.
To keep afloat; as, the water bears a ship.
5.
To support or sustain without sinking or yielding; to endure; as, a man can bear severe pain or calamity; or to sustain with proportionate strength, and without injury; as, a man may bear stronger food or drink.
6.
To entertain; to carry in the mind; as, to bear a great love for a friend; to bear inveterate hatred to gaming.
7.
To suffer; to undergo; as, to bear punishment.
8.
To suffer without resentment, or interference to prevent; to have patience; as, to bear neglect or indignities.
9.
To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence,injury,or change; as, to give words the most favorable interpretation they will bear.
10. To bring forth or produce, as the fruit of plants, or the young of animals; as, to bear apples; to bear children.
11. To give birth to, or be the native place of.
Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos bore.
12. To possess and use as power; to exercise; as, to bear sway.
13. To gain or win.
Some think to bear it by speaking a great word. [Not now used. The phrase now used is, to bear away.]
14. To carry on, or maintain; to have; as, to bear a part in conversation.
15. To show or exhibit; to relate; as, to bear testimony or witness. This seems to imply utterance, like the Latin fero, to relate or utter.
16. To sustain the effect, or be answerable for; as, to bear the blame.
17. To sustain, as expense; to supply the means of paying; as, to bear the charges, that is, to pay the expenses.
18. To be the object of.
Let me but bear your love, and I'll bear your cares.
19. To behave; to act in any character; as,'hath he borne himself penitent?'
20. To remove, or to endure the effects of; and hence to give satisfaction for.
He shall bear their iniquities. Is. 53. Heb.9.
To bear the infirmities of the weak, to bear one another's burdens, is to be charitable towards their faults, to sympathize with them, and to aid them in distress.
To bear off, is to restrain; to keep from approach; and in seamanship, to remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against any thing; as, to bear off a blow; to bear off a boat; also, to carry away; as, to bear off stolen goods.
To bear down, is to impel or urge; to overthrow or crush by force; as, to bear down an enemy.
To bear down upon, to press to overtake; to make all sail to come up with.
To bear hard, is to press or urge.
Cesar doth bear me hard.
To bear on, is to press against; also to carry forward, to press, incite or animate.
Confidence hath borne thee on.
To bear through, is to conduct or manage; as,'to bear through the consulship.' B.Jonson. Also, to maintain or support to the end; as, religion will bear us through the evils of life.
To bear out, is to maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last.
Company only can bear a man out in an ill thing.
To bear up, to support; to keep from falling.
Religious hope bears up the mind under sufferings.
To bear up, to keep afloat.
To bear a body. A color is said to bear a body in painting, when it is capable of being ground so fine, and mixed so entirely with the oil, as to seem only a very thick oil of the same color. To bear date, is to have the mark of time when written or executed; as, a letter or bond bears date, Jan.6,1811.
To bear a price,is to have a certain price. In common mercantile language,it often signifies or implies, to bear a good or high price.
To bear in hand, to amuse with false pretenses; to deceive.
I believe this phrase is obsolete, or never used in America.
To bear a hand, in seamanship, is to make haste, be quick.

Definition 2024

Bear

Bear

See also: bear, bèar, and béar

English

Proper noun

Bear

  1. A surname​.

bear

bear

See also: Bear, béar, and bèar

English

A bear

Noun

bear ‎(plural bears)

  1. A large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and raccoon, having shaggy hair, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of family Ursidae, particularly of subfamily Ursinae.
  2. (figuratively) A rough, unmannerly, uncouth person. [1579]
  3. (finance) An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices. [1744]
  4. (slang, US) A state policeman (short for smokey bear). [1970s]
    • 1976 June, CB Magazine, Communications Publication Corporation, Oklahoma City, June 40/3:
      ‘The bear's pulling somebody off there at 74,’ reported someone else.
  5. (slang) A large, hairy man, especially one who is homosexual. [1990]
    • 1990, "Bears, gay men subculture materials" (publication title, Human Sexuality Collection, Collection Level Periodical Record):
    • 2004, Richard Goldstein, Why I'm Not a Bear, in The Advocate, number 913, 27 April 2004, page 72:
      I have everything it takes to be a bear: broad shoulders, full beard, semibald pate, and lots of body hair. But I don't want to be a fetish.
    • 2006, Simon LeVay, Sharon McBride Valente, Human sexuality:
      There are numerous social organizations for bears in most parts of the United States. Lesbians don't have such prominent sexual subcultures as gay men, although, as just mentioned, some lesbians are into BDSM practices.
  6. (engineering) A portable punching machine.
  7. (nautical) A block covered with coarse matting, used to scour the deck.
Synonyms
  • (large omnivorous mammal): see Wikisaurus:bear
  • (rough, uncouth person): see Wikisaurus:troublemaker
  • (police officer): see Wikisaurus:police officer
Antonyms
  • (investor who anticipates falling prices): bull
  • (homosexual hairy man): twink
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

bear ‎(third-person singular simple present bears, present participle bearing, simple past and past participle beared)

  1. (finance, transitive) To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in.
    to bear a railroad stock
    to bear the market

Adjective

bear ‎(not comparable)

  1. (finance, investments) Characterized by declining prices in securities markets or by belief that the prices will fall.
    The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.
Translations

See also

  • ursine
  • Appendix: Animals
  • Appendix:English collective nouns

References

  • Donald A. Ringe, From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (2006), Linguistic history of English, vol. 1, Oxford: Oxford University Press (ISBN 0-19-955229-0)

Etymology 2

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

Verb

bear ‎(third-person singular simple present bears, present participle bearing, simple past bore or (archaic) bare, past participle borne or (see usage notes) born)

  1. (transitive) To support or sustain; to hold up.
    This stone bears most of the weight.
  2. (transitive) To carry something.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Shakespeare:
      I'll bear your logs the while.
    • 2005, Lesley Brown, translator, Plato, Sophist. 234b:
      imitations that bear the same name as the things
    • 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266:
      In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.
    • 1954 03, Bradbury, Ray, “All Summer in a Day”, in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, volume 6, number 3, Fantasy House, Inc., page 122:
      They surged about her, caught her up and bore her
  3. (transitive) To be equipped with (something).
    the right to bear arms
  4. (transitive) To wear or display.
    The shield bore a red cross.
  5. (transitive, with witness) To declare as testimony.
    The jury could see he was bearing false witness.
  6. (transitive) To put up with something.
    I would never move to Texas—I can't bear heat.
    Please bear with me as I try to find the book you need.
  7. (transitive) To give birth to someone or something (may take the father of the direct object as an indirect object).
    In Troy she becomes Paris’ wife, bearing him several children, all of whom die in infancy.
  8. (transitive, intransitive) To produce or yield something, such as fruit or crops.
    • (Can we date this quote?), John Dryden
      this age to blossom, and the next to bear
  9. (intransitive) To be, or head, in a specific direction or azimuth (from somewhere).
    The harbour bears north by northeast.
    By my readings, we're bearing due south, so we should turn about ten degrees east.
    Great Falls bears north of Bozeman.
    We are bearing toward the north side of the island.
  10. (intransitive) To suffer, as in carrying a burden.
  11. (intransitive) To endure with patience; to be patient.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Dryden:
      I cannot, cannot bear.
  12. (intransitive, usually with on, upon, or against) To press.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Addison:
      These men bear hard on the suspected party.
  13. (trasitive, intransitive) To take effect; to have influence or force.
    to bring matters to bear
  14. (intransitive, usually with on or upon) To relate or refer.
    How does this bear on the question?
  15. (transitive) To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Nathaniel Hawthorne:
      Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform.
  16. (transitive, obsolete) To conduct; to bring (a person).
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare:
      Bear them to my house.
  17. (transitive) To possess and use (power, etc.); to exercise.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Esther 1.22:
      Every man should bear rule in his own house.
  18. (transitive) To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbour.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare:
      the ancient grudge I bear him
  19. (transitive, obsolete) To gain or win.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Francis Bacon:
      Some think to bear it by speaking a great word.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Latimer:
      She was […] found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge.
  20. (transitive) To sustain, or be answerable for (blame, expense, responsibility, etc.).
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Isaiah 53:11:
      He shall bear their iniquities.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Dryden:
      somewhat that will bear your charges
  21. (transitive) To carry on, or maintain; to have.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Locke:
      the credit of bearing a part in the conversation
  22. (transitive) To admit or be capable of; to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Jonathan Swift:
      In all criminal cases the most favourable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear.
  23. (transitive) To manage, wield, or direct; to behave or conduct (oneself).
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare:
      Thus must thou thy body bear.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare:
      Hath he borne himself penitently in prison?
  24. (transitive) To afford; to be (something) to; to supply with.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope:
      His faithful dog shall bear him company.
Usage notes
  • The past participle of bear is usually borne:
    • He could not have borne that load.
    • She had borne five children.
    • This is not to be borne!
  • However, when bear means "to give birth to" (literally or figuratively), the passive past participle is born:
    • She was born on May 3.
    • Born three years earlier, he was the eldest of his siblings.
    • "The idea to create [the Blue Ridge Parkway] was born in the travail of the Great Depression […] ." (Tim Pegram, The Blue Ridge Parkway by Foot: A Park Ranger's Memoir, ISBN 0786431407, 2007, page 1)
  • Both spellings are used in the construction born(e) to someone (as a child):
    • He was born(e) to Mr. Smith.
    • She was born(e) to the most powerful family in the city.
    • "[M]y father was borne to a Swedish mother and a Norwegian father, both devout Lutherans." (David Ross, Good Morning Corfu: Living Abroad Against All Odds, ISBN 1452450323, 2009)
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Noun

bear ‎(uncountable)

  1. Alternative spelling of bere ‎(“barley”)

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: length · play · remained · #582: bear · service · various · u

Anagrams

West Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *berô (compare English bear, Dutch beer, German Bär, Danish bjørn).

Noun

bear c ‎(plural bearen, diminutive bearke)

  1. bear

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /bɛə(ɹ)/, /bɛː(ɹ)/, enPR: bâr
  • (US) IPA(key): /bɛɚ/, enPR: bâr
  • Homophone: bare
  • (Southern US, colloquial) IPA(key): /bɑːɹ/
  • Homophone: bar (Southern US, colloquial)

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