Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

bear

 - definition
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb [transitive] British English pronunciation: bear /beə(r)/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theybear
he/she/itbears
present participlebearing
past tensebore
past participleborne
 
  1. 1
    [usually in negatives or questions] if you cannot bear something, you cannot accept or do it because it makes you very unhappy
    can’t bear doing something/to do something:

    Sue can’t bear to be parted from her baby daughter.

    I can’t bear seeing food thrown away.

    can hardly bear to do something:

    I could hardly bear to watch.

    can’t bear the thought/idea of:

    She couldn’t bear the thought of moving again.

    more than someone can bear:

    Being made a fool of in front of a roomful of people was more than he could bear.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    1. a.
      [usually in negatives or questions] if you cannot bear someone or something, you dislike them very much

      Most of her friends can’t bear her husband.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    2. b.
      to accept a difficult or unpleasant situation, especially without complaining

      She bore all her suffering with incredible patience.

      The pain was more than I could bear.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
  2. 2
    formal to seem to be a particular kind of thing or to have particular qualities
    bear the hallmarks/signs/stamp of something:

    The incident bore all the hallmarks of a racist attack.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    1. a.
      to seem to be similar to something or related to it in some way
      bear a resemblance/relation/similarity to:

      His description bore no relation to reality.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    2. b.
      to have features or qualities that show that something happened in the past
      bear the scars/marks of something:

      Many buildings in the town still bear the scars of the bombing.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
  3. 3
    formal if something bears writing or a design, that writing or design is on it

    Every new coin bears a date.

    a blue banner bearing the words ‘Civil Rights March’

    bear someone’s signature:

    The letter bore the signature of her grandfather.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    1. a.
      formal to have a particular name or title

      The city still bears the French name of Aix-la-Chapelle.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
  4. 4
    literary to carry or take someone or something somewhere

    a coffin bearing the remains of an old man

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    1. a.
      to support the weight of something

      The floorboards could not bear the weight of the piano.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    2. b.
      [usually passive] literary if something is borne along by wind, air, or water, it is moved along by it
      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    3. c.
      to carry or hold something, for example a weapon

      a missile-bearing warship

      bear arms (=carry weapons):

      Do you support the citizen’s right to bear arms?

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
  5. 5
    formal to give birth to a child

    The ewes usually bear twin lambs.

    bear someone something:

    She bore him three sons.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
    1. a.
      if a plant bears flowers or fruit, it produces them

      The new stems bear the flowers.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear
  6. 6
    to have a particular feeling towards someone
    bear a grudge (=to continue to dislike someone because of a past event):

    I hope you don’t still bear a grudge against me.

    bear someone something:

    He had caused untold suffering, but they bore him no bitterness.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  bearThesaurus entry for this meaning of bear

phrases

See also

This is the British English definition of bear. View American English definition of bear.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day Word of the Day

zeugma

the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...

Open Dictionary

conflict mineral

a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog