bear
 I. bear1 (bâr)v. bore, (bôr, bōr) borne, (bôrn, bōrn) or born (bôrn) bear·ing, bearsv. tr.
1. To hold up; support.
2. To carry from one place to another; transport.
3. To carry in the mind; harbor:
bear a grudge.
4. To transmit at large; relate:
bearing glad tidings.
5. To have as a visible characteristic:
bore a scar on the left arm.
6. To have as a quality; exhibit: “A thousand different shapes it bears” (Abraham Cowley).
7. To carry (oneself) in a specified way; conduct:
She bore herself with dignity.
8. To be accountable for; assume:
bearing heavy responsibilities.
9. To have a tolerance for; endure:
couldn't bear his lying.
10. To call for; warrant:
This case bears investigation.
11. To give birth to:
bore six children in five years.
12. To produce; yield:
plants bearing flowers.
13. To offer; render:
I will bear witness to the deed.
14. To move by or as if by steady pressure; push: “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (F. Scott Fitzgerald). v. intr.
1. To yield fruit; produce:
peach trees that bear every summer.
2. To have relevance; apply:
They studied the ways in which the relativity theory bears on the history of science.
3. To exert pressure, force, or influence.
4.
a. To force oneself along; forge.
b. To endure something with tolerance and patience:
Bear with me while I explain matters.
5. To extend or proceed in a specified direction:
The road bears to the right at the bottom of the hill.Phrasal Verbs:bear down
1. To advance in a threatening manner:
The ship bore down on our canoe.
2. To apply maximum effort and concentration:
If you really bear down, you will finish the task.bear out
To prove right or justified; confirm:
The test results bear out our claims.bear up
To withstand stress, difficulty, or attrition:
The patient bore up well during the long illness.Idioms:bear down on
To effect in a harmful or adverse way:
Financial pressures are bearing down on them.bear fruit
To come to a satisfactory conclusion or to fruition.bear in mind
To hold in one's mind; remember:
Bear in mind that bridges freeze before roads. [Middle English beren, from Old English beran. See bher-1 in Indo-European Roots.]
Synonyms: bear1, endure, stand, abide, suffer, tolerate
These verbs mean to withstand something difficult or painful. Bear pertains broadly to the capacity to withstand: “Those best can bear reproof who merit praise” (Alexander Pope). Endure specifies a continuing capacity to face pain or hardship: “Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured and little to be enjoyed” (Samuel Johnson). Stand implies resoluteness of spirit: Actors who can't stand criticism shouldn't perform in public. Abide and suffer suggest the capacity to withstand patiently: She couldn't abide fools. He suffered their insults in silence. Tolerate, when applied to something other than pain, connotes reluctant acceptance: “A decent... examination of the acts of government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged” (William Henry Harrison). See also synonyms at convey See also synonyms at produce
Usage Note: Thanks to the vagaries of English spelling, bear has two past participles: born and borne. Traditionally, born is used only in passive constructions referring to birth: I was born in Chicago. For all other uses, including active constructions referring to birth, borne is the standard form: She has borne both her children at home. I have borne his insolence with the patience of a saint. II. bear2 (bâr)n.
1.
a. Any of various usually omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae that have a shaggy coat and a short tail and walk with the entire lower surface of the foot touching the ground.
b. Any of various other animals, such as the koala, that resemble a true bear.
2. A large, clumsy, or ill-mannered person.
3.
a. One, such as an investor, that sells securities or commodities in expectation of falling prices.
b. A pessimist, especially regarding business conditions.
4. Slang. Something that is difficult or unpleasant:
The final exam was a bear.
5. Slang. A highway patrol officer.adj.
Characterized by falling prices:
a bear market. [Middle English bere, from Old English bera; See bher-2 in Indo-European Roots. Sense 3, probably from proverb To sell the bear's skin before catching the bear.]
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