American Heritage Dictionary Entry: bear HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com bear 1 (bâr) Share: Tweet v. bore (bôr), borne (bôrn) or born (bôrn), bear·ing, bears v.tr. 1. a. To carry (something) on one's person from one place to another: bore the suitcase to the station. b. To move from one place to another while containing or supporting (something); convey or transport: a train bearing grain. See Synonyms at carry. c. To cause to move by or with steady pressure; push: a boat borne along by the current. d. To carry or hold in the mind over time; harbor: bear a grudge; bear ill will. e. To have as a visible characteristic or attribute: a letter bearing his name. 2. To conduct (oneself) in a specified way: She bore herself with dignity. 3. a. To hold up; support: This wall bears much of the weight of the roof. b. To be accountable for; assume: bearing heavy responsibilities. c. To have a tolerance for; endure: couldn't bear his lying; can't bear to see them leave. See Synonyms at endure. d. To have grounds for; call for; warrant: This case bears investigation. 4. a. To give birth to: bore six children. b. To produce; yield: plants bearing fruit. See Synonyms at produce. 5. To offer; render: I will bear witness to the deed. v.intr. 1. To yield fruit; produce: peach trees that bear every summer. 2. To have relevance or influence; apply: They studied how the relativity theory bears on the history of science. 3. To endure something with tolerance or patience: Bear with me while I explain what happened. 4. a. To extend or proceed in a specified direction: The road bears to the right at the bottom of the hill. b. To be directed or aimed in a certain direction or at a target: The guns were brought to bear upon the approaching fleet.Phrasal Verbs: bear down 1. To exert muscular pressure downward, as in giving birth to a baby. 2. To advance in a threatening manner: The ship bore down on our canoe. 3. To apply maximum effort and concentration: If you really bear down, you will finish the task. bear out To prove to be 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 a relation/relationship to To have an association with or relevance to: That remark bears no relation to the matter at hand. bear a resemblance/liking/similarity to To be similar to; appear or function like. bear down on 1. To move rapidly toward: The ship bore down on the abandoned vessel. 2. To affect 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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] 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. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. bear 2 (bâr) Share: Tweet 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. 6. Slang A hairy, stocky gay man. adj. Characterized by falling prices: a bear market. [Middle English bere, from Old English bera; see bher-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots. Sense 3, probably from the proverb to sell the bear's skin before catching the bear.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. 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