bear
noun (countable)
UK/beər/US/ber/
A large, heavy mammal with thick fur and a very short tail, belonging to the family Ursidae; also, in finance, a person who expects prices to fall and thus sells assets in anticipation of buying them back at a lower price.
Example Sentences
A wild bear emerged from the forest, sniffing around for food.
In the finance world, a bear sells stocks expecting their value to drop in the near future.
We spotted a black bear cub by the river, carefully watched over by its mother.
Many cultures view the bear as a symbol of strength and resilience.
During the winter, certain species of bear hibernate to conserve energy.
The term 'bear market' refers to a prolonged period of declining stock prices.
While camping, they stored their food in bear-proof containers to prevent unwanted visitors roaming around at night.
Investors classified as bears often react swiftly to negative economic news, betting on a downward trend in the market and influencing others to reconsider their positions.
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verb (transitive)
UK/beər/US/ber/
To carry or support; to endure or tolerate; to produce or give birth; to uphold under pressure.
Example Sentences
She had to bear the responsibility of managing the entire project alone.
The orchard will bear fruit in late summer, providing apples and pears for harvest.
I can’t bear watching sad movies without getting teary-eyed.
They learned to bear each other’s differences over time and grew closer as friends.
This ancient bridge can still bear a considerable amount of weight despite its age.
She hopes to bear healthy offspring next spring, continuing her family’s lineage.
He tried to bear the emotional burden in silence, only to find that sharing his worries helped him heal faster.
Small businesses must bear numerous challenges—including limited funding, market competition, and regulatory hurdles—before they can thrive.
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How to Use
A big omnivorous mammal or a verb meaning to carry, endure, or tolerate.“Bear” appears in English as both a noun and a verb, each conveying distinct meanings. As a noun, it describes a large, typically omnivorous mammal with thick fur, short tails, and strong limbs, found in habitats ranging from forests to Arctic ice. In everyday references, you might say, “A bear wandered through our campsite,” or “Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt.” Some bear species, like the grizzly or black bear, evoke ideas of wilderness, strength, or conservation. As a verb, “to bear” most often means “to carry,” “to support,” or “to endure”—like “He couldn’t bear the pain any longer,” or “The tree’s limbs must bear the weight of heavy snow.” It can also mean “to give birth to,” as in, “She bore three children.” Depending on context—wildlife, survival, tolerance, or childbirth—“bear” takes on distinct nuances. In legal or formal expressions, you might see phrases like “bear responsibility” or “bear arms,” referencing taking on a burden or exercising a right. With so many uses, context is key to clarifying whether “bear” describes an animal or an action involving endurance, carrying, or producing.
Alternatives
You can choose alternative words or phrases instead of repeating “bear” if you need variety or clarity. For the animal, words like “ursine creature” or “large omnivorous mammal” can suit more technical contexts, though they’re less common in casual speech. If describing an action, “to carry,” “to endure,” “to sustain,” or “to shoulder” might replace the verb sense of “bear.” If you want a more poetic or formal phrase, you can say “to abide,” suggesting patient tolerance. Each synonym shifts the tone slightly: “to carry” emphasizes physically holding something, “to endure” highlights lasting through hardship, and “to shoulder” can imply responsibility. Meanwhile, referencing a “grizzly” or “polar bear” instead of using the general term “bear” pinpoints a specific species. By picking alternatives suited to your intent—scientific, everyday, legal, or figurative—you can avoid overuse or ambiguity while preserving the sentence’s core meaning.
Writing
In written text, clarify whether “bear” is the animal or the verb by grounding it in context. If you’re describing wilderness or wildlife, be explicit: “A lone black bear foraged for berries along the riverbank.” For the verb sense, indicate the nature of what’s being carried or endured—“He had to bear the burden of guilt for years.” If the passage involves multiple meanings—say, if you mention encountering a bear while pondering your personal burdens—set them apart through framing: “I was forced to bear my fears when a brown bear appeared on the trail.” In informative or educational works, specify details such as species (grizzly, polar, panda) or the form of endurance (physical, emotional, or legal). If you’re exploring metaphorical uses, like “We must bear the consequences of our choices,” define the stakes or emotions attached. This clarity ensures readers won’t confuse your references to a powerful forest creature with a mention of shouldering responsibility. When in doubt, synonyms help, or you can add short explanatory phrases to distinguish if “bear” is about an animal or an act of carrying or tolerating.
Casual Conversation
In everyday conversation, “bear” can pop up in various ways. You might literally say, “Look at that bear in the documentary—he’s massive!” or use the verb form in remarks such as, “I can’t bear the heat today; it’s too intense.” People also slip it into phrases like “Bear with me,” which politely requests patience. When planning a trip, you might warn someone about local wildlife: “This park is known for black bears, so we should store our food safely.” In joking or playful banter, you might say, “This workload is unbearable,” ramping up drama about how tough it is. Most listeners quickly decode whether you mean the animal or the action, aided by context—talk of forests or national parks suggests the noun, while emotional or physical challenges hint at the verb. Overall, “bear” lends itself to quick, versatile usage in casual chats, easily switching from describing a wildlife encounter to expressing burdens or difficulties.
Etymology
The English word “bear” has roots in the Proto-Germanic word *berô, meaning “the brown one.” In many Germanic languages, people avoided the original Indo-European term for bear—possibly out of superstition—and used a descriptive nickname referencing the animal’s fur color instead. Over centuries, “bear” maintained its identity as a large omnivorous mammal found in northern regions. Meanwhile, the verb “to bear” comes from Old English “beran,” meaning “to carry” or “to bring,” tracing further back to Proto-Indo-European *bher-, “to carry.” Although these forms share the same spelling in modern English, they arose from different linguistic lineages. This happenstance means “bear” can describe both a powerful forest predator and the act of carrying weight or enduring hardships. We see that duality in idioms like “bear the brunt of something” and in references to “bear cubs.” This linguistic divergence highlights how English merged multiple ancestral roots to form words that look and sound identical but function in distinct ways.