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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.
any of the plantigrade, carnivorous or omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae, having massive bodies, coarse heavy fur, relatively short limbs, and almost rudimentary tails.
any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.
a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.
a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull).
Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.:
a bear for physics.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
(initial capital letter) Russia.
having to do with or marked by declining prices, as of stocks:
bear market.
Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).
loaded for bear, Informal. fully prepared and eager to initiate or deal with a fight, confrontation, or trouble:
Keep away from the boss—he’s loaded for bear today.
Mount, a mountain in S Alaska, in the Saint Elias Mountains. 14,831 feet (4520 meters).
Contemporary Examples

The Espionage Case Against Assange Stephen L. Carter November 30, 2010
Derrida’s ‘Of Grammatology’ and the Birth of Deconstruction Benoît Peeters December 20, 2012
Naomi Campbell, Accidental Hero Eric Pape June 30, 2010
Does Goldman Sachs Really Rule the World? William D. Cohan October 7, 2008
Why Women Kill Kathleen J. Ferraro February 19, 2010

Historical Examples

Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 366, April, 1846 Various
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327 Various
Chatterbox, 1906 Various
United States Presidents’ Inaugural Speeches Various
The Arrow-Maker Mary Austin

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

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