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to hold up; support:
to bear the weight of the roof.
to hold or remain firm under (a load):
The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.
to bring forth (young); give birth to:
to bear a child.
to produce by natural growth:
a tree that bears fruit.
to hold up under; be capable of:
His claim doesn’t bear close examination.
to press or push against:
The crowd was borne back by the police.
to hold or carry (oneself, one’s body, one’s head, etc.):
to bear oneself erectly.
to conduct (oneself):
to bear oneself bravely.
to suffer; endure; undergo:
to bear the blame.
to sustain without yielding or suffering injury; tolerate (usually used in negative constructions, unless qualified):
I can’t bear your nagging. I can hardly bear to see her suffering so.
to be fit for or worthy of:
It doesn’t bear repeating.
to carry; bring:
to bear gifts.
to carry in the mind or heart:
to bear love; to bear malice.
to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
to render; afford; give:
to bear witness; to bear testimony.
to lead; guide; take:
They bore him home.
to have and be entitled to:
to bear title.
to exhibit; show:
to bear a resemblance.
to accept or have, as an obligation:
to bear responsibility; to bear the cost.
to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively:
the relation that price bears to profit.
to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on:
to bear traces; to bear an inscription.
to have and use; exercise:
to bear authority; to bear sway.
to tend in a course or direction; move; go:
to bear west; to bear left at the fork in the road.
to be located or situated:
The lighthouse bears due north.
to bring forth young or fruit:
Next year the tree will bear.
bear down,

to press or weigh down.
to strive harder; intensify one’s efforts:
We can’t hope to finish unless everyone bears down.
Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship:
The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.

bear down on/upon,

to press or weigh down on.
to strive toward.
to approach something rapidly.
Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward:
The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.

bear off,

Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
Nautical. to steer away.
Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.

bear on/upon, to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to:
This information may bear on the case.
bear out, to substantiate; confirm:
The facts bear me out.
bear up, to endure; face hardship bravely:
It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.
bear with, to be patient or forbearing with:
Please bear with me until I finish the story.
bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose:
Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.
verb (mainly transitive) bears, bearing, bore, borne
to support or hold up; sustain
to bring or convey: to bear gifts
to take, accept, or assume the responsibility of: to bear an expense
(past participle bornin passive use except when foll by by) to give birth to: to bear children
(also intransitive) to produce by or as if by natural growth: to bear fruit
to tolerate or endure: she couldn’t bear him
to admit of; sustain: his story does not bear scrutiny
to hold in the conscious mind or in one’s feelings: to bear a grudge, I’ll bear that idea in mind
to show or be marked with: he still bears the scars
to transmit or spread: to bear gossip
to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness)
to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc): she bore her head high
to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison): his account bears no relation to the facts
(intransitive) to move, be located, or lie in a specified direction: the way bears east
to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title)
bear a hand, to give assistance
bring to bear, to bring into operation or effect: he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation
noun (pl) bears, bear
any plantigrade mammal of the family Ursidae: order Carnivora (carnivores). Bears are typically massive omnivorous animals with a large head, a long shaggy coat, and strong claws See also black bear, brown bear, polar bear related adjective ursine
any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear
a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person
a teddy bear
(stock exchange)

a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase
(as modifier): a bear market Compare bull1 (sense 5)

verb bears, bearing, beared
(transitive) to lower or attempt to lower the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative selling
noun the Bear
the English name for Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
an informal name for Russia
v.
n.

A capsule containing a narcotic (1960s+ Narcotics)
A difficult school or college course (1960s+ Students)
Anything arduous or very disagreeable; bitch: It’s been a bear of a morning •Bear is attested fr 1915 in a similar sense, ”doozie, humdinger” (1950s+)
bearcat: Stokovich was a bear for records
A large, gruff man

Exert, apply, as in All his efforts are brought to bear on the new problem, or The union is bringing pressure to bear on management. [ Late 1600s ]

bear a grudge
bear down
bear fruit
bear in mind
bear one’s cross
bear out
bear the brunt
bear up
bear with