From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_705_zbearbear1 /beə $ ber/ ●●● S2 W2 verb (past tense bore /bɔː $ bɔːr/, past participle borne /bɔːn $ bɔːrn/) [transitive] 1 deal with somethingBRAVE to bravely accept or deal with a painful, difficult, or upsetting situation SYN stand She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to bear the pain. Overcrowding makes prison life even harder to bear. Make the water as hot as you can bear. The humiliation was more than he could bear. Black people continue to bear the brunt of most racial violence (=have to deal with the most difficult or damaging part). Passengers could be insulting, and stewardesses just had to grin and bear it (=accept it without complaining). Experts were worried the financial system would not be able to bear the strain.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that they can’t stand something, rather than that they can't bear it:I couldn’t stand the noise any longer.2 → can’t bear something3 → bear (something) in mind4 accept/be responsible for formalPAY FOR to be responsible for or accept somethingbear the costs/burden Each company will bear half the costs of development. Fares have gone up, perhaps to more than the market will bear.bear the responsibility/blame etc Developed countries bear much of the responsibility for environmental problems.5 supportSUPPORT/HOLD UP to be under something and support it SYN hold My leg was painful, and I wasn’t sure it would bear my weight. a tray bearing a bottle and several glasses a load-bearing wall6 SHOW/BE A SIGN OFsign/mark formal to have or show a sign, mark, or particular appearance, especially when this shows that something has happened or is true SYN have The letter bore no signature. a car bearing diplomatic license plates The labels bear a yellow and black symbol. The town still bears the scars of the bombings during the war. The store bears the hallmarks (=it has the qualities) of a family-owned business.7 → bear a resemblance/relation to somebody/something8 MBBABY/HAVE A BABYbaby formal to give birth to a baby She might never be able to bear children.bear somebody a child/son/daughter She bore him three sons. 9 → bear fruit10 INVESTIGATEable to be examined/compared etc [often in negatives] to be suitable or good enough to be examined, compared, repeated etc without failing or being wrong The production figures did not bear scrutiny. We believe our pupils’ results will bear comparison with any in Scotland. The story is well known, but it certainly bears repeating.11 → something doesn’t bear thinking about12 → bear interest13 CARRYcarry literary to carry someone or something, especially something important The wedding guests arrived, bearing gifts. The US Constitution states that the people have a right to bear arms.14 → bring pressure/influence to bear (on somebody/something)15 → bear witness/testimony to something16 ANGRYhave feelings formal to have a particular feeling, especially a bad feelingbear (somebody) a grudge (=continue to feel annoyed after a long time) It was an accident. I don’t bear any grudges.bear somebody no malice/ill will etc (=not feel angry) He was just doing his job, and I bore him no malice.17 → bear right/left18 → bear yourself19 CMOVE something OR somebodywind/water literary if wind, water, or air bears something, it carries it somewhere The sound of music was borne along on the wind.20 NAME OF A THINGname/title formal to have a particular name or title He bore the name ‘Magnus’.COLLOCATIONSbear + NOUNbear the painHe knew that he couldn’t bear the pain much longer.bear the heat/coldSome people find it hard to bear the heat in the summer.bear the strain/pressureMark couldn’t bear the pressure of the job any longer.phrasescan hardly bear something (=find something very difficult or upsetting to do)He was so ashamed that he could hardly bear to look at her.be unable to bear somethingFiona was unable to bear the thought of selling the house.be hard to bearThe situation was very hard to bear.be more than somebody can bearHe sometimes felt the grief was more than he could bear.bear the brunt of something (=be in the worst position and have to deal with it)Shareholders will bear the brunt of the company’s financial troubles.grin and bear it (=accept it without complaining)It was a horrible job but she had to grin and bear it. → bear down → bear on/upon something → bear somebody/sth↔ out → bear up → bear with somebody/something→ See Verb table
HBAa large strong animal with thick fur, that eats flesh, fruit, and insects a mother bear and her cubs → grizzly bear, polar bear, teddy bear2 American English informal something that is very difficult to do or to deal with The chemistry test was a bear.3 → be like a bear with a sore head4 BFS technical someone who sells shares or goods when they expect the price to fall → bull
Examples from the Corpus
bear• A messenger arrived, bearing a letter from the ambassador.• Her loneliness was hard to bear, after her husband died.• They arrived in Israel on the same plane that bore Assad's coffin.• There Charles went solo again, unveiling a plaque - which bore both their names - as Diana stood meekly behind him.• Jean will never be able to bear children.• Some products that bear freshness dates are cheeses, breakfast cereals, bakery products, and mayonnaise.• Never would she let the earth bear fruit until she had seen her daughter.• Several of the guests arrived bearing gifts.• I really can't bear him.• The ice wasn't thick enough to bear his weight.• The trial was a great scandal but she bore it all with courage and dignity.• I can not bear it any longer, I am crying now.• My leg really hurts -- I'm not sure how much longer I can bear it.• Dissident radicals of all sorts were assumed to bear loyalty to alien ideologies, and deportation became the fate of many.• You know, as in, which one bore more excitement and panache.• For Blanche the atmosphere bore no resemblance to the glamorous, fun-filled evening promised in the advertisements.• An oak table bore several photographs of the family.• At the head of the procession a group of dark-suited men bore the coffin into the church.• The tunnel would have needed to be extremely strong to bear the full weight of the earth above.• The list bore the names of people still missing after the disaster.• Talking to a counsellor can help divorcees to bear the pain of separation.• He bore the pain stoically.• She bears the title of "Executive Director."• The baby's narrow neck looked too fragile to bear the weight of its head.• The police are asking residents to keep an eye out for a person bearing this description.• A close scrutiny of films showing lions killing zebras does not bear this out.• The melon rind bore traces of a rare type of the Salmonella bacteria.can bear• The rise in interest rates may be more than the economy can bear.• His face is enormous, almost more than I can bear.• Name seven different forms of ejecta from impact craters, and four topographic features that impact craters can bear.• They can bear a grudge for ever, like a fire in a mine.• Still I approve of his wish that the next time round he will become a woman so that he can bear children.• Obviously, too, they are policies which will take years of consistent application before they can bear fruit.• He can bear me no malice.• The designer whose work can bear such attention successfully is a rare talent indeed.• The use of computers in production is extending all the time, as fully-automated plants and robots can bear witness.bear the costs/burden• It is better that I alone bear the burden.• The rates were incapable of bearing the burden in their view and they expressed cautious support for a local income tax.• Share prices had therefore to bear the burden of adjustment.• For the moment, capital was bearing the costs of overaccumulation.• Is the potential for misidentification any less when the defence bear the burden of proof?• The buyers therefore had to bear the costs of the deterioration.• The insured must bear the costs of the Engineers fees unless liability is subsequently established under the policy.• The Legal Aid Fund bears the costs risk rather than the litigant.bear ... weight• Differences that had seemed slight when they were in their early twenties now bore social weight.• His arms were numb, his hands too weak to bear his weight.• I went down the steps, slowly, enjoying the way each step bore my weight.• As a foundation it is inadequate to bear the weight of the case that Mr. McGregor sought to build upon it.• If the floor is properly framed, you should not need extra support underneath to bear the weight of the fireplace.• The Hooper who existed in Brideshead Revisited, though, bore all the weight of Waugh's opprobrium.• Perhaps this distinction is too little to bear the weight placed on it.• But to my mind neither section 8 nor the Gillick decision will bear the weight which he seeks to place upon them.bears the scars• This boat was used in an Indiana Jones film and still bears the scars.• His twice broken kneecap still bears the scars - for Lawrence today was the test he's been waiting for.• The morning after, Jim Bob bears the scars of a sojourn in the moshpit.bear somebody a child/son/daughter• Even if women are raped, he says, they should be legally required to bear the children.• Next, their wives were fed since they could bear more children.• Perhaps it was just as well, Eline thought dismally, she was barren, unable to bear a child.• Women are now expected to bear 1.17 children, down from 1.89 in 1990.• She bore two children, Hercules to Zeus and Iphicles to Amphitryon.• Others develop the feeling of bearing a child more gradually.• The wide-ranging designs include a teddy bear switch for children's bedrooms.• Authorities fear the girl will attempt to bear the child without medical attention.bear scrutiny• A world that would be liked by contemporary people which do not always bear scrutiny.• The material did not bear scrutiny.• His relationship background didn't bear scrutiny either, having virtually abandoned his first wife and three other children.bear arms• All civilians possessing army-distributed guns must return them and undergo physical and psychological tests to determine their fitness to bear arms.• Esquires are described simply as men who bear arms.• The total census of the towns comes to just under 300,000 people of whom some 60,000 were capable of bearing arms.• There is no constitutional right to bear arms.• Women who choose to find employment in military institutions want therefore to be allowed to bear arms and to fight.• John Hostettler, R-Ind., who once suggested that the constitutional right to bear arms included nuclear weapons; and Rep.• He climbed in the Communist ranks to colonel, without ever bearing arms or wearing a uniform.• The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed by law.bear (somebody) a grudge• Even back then it was clear they were bearing a grudge.• It would not do to have Miss Blagden imagine she bore any grudge.• Lets hope they don't bear a grudge!• He said both men came from deprived backgrounds and bore a grudge against the area in which they lived.• Does some one bear a grudge against Vallejo?• Drought-lovers are natural container plants and will not bear a grudge if you forget to water them.• Guenelon bears a grudge in his heart, which eventually blossoms into a scheme for revenge.• Otis, who bore lifelong grudges over provocations infinitely smaller than this, was realistic enough to know when he was had.ldoce_019_cbearbear2 ●●○ noun [countable] 1 HBAa large strong animal with thick fur, that eats flesh, fruit, and insects a mother bear and her cubs → grizzly bear, polar bear, teddy bear2 American English informal something that is very difficult to do or to deal with The chemistry test was a bear.3 → be like a bear with a sore head4 BFS technical someone who sells shares or goods when they expect the price to fall → bullExamples from the Corpus
bear• Zeus got after her one morning in the guise of a brown bear.• With few bears and wolves about these days, elk rule their forest habitat.• Barnett replied drily that Davis's best option was to feed the gingerbread to his bears.• Also pictured with funnyman Les is Barnardos' best-known bear and official mascot, Barnaby.• The federal estate tax form is a real bear to fill out.• Buy teddy bear wrapping paper for decorations.• After three weeks out in the field Skipper looked like an overgrown teddy bear.• Visitors to the park are warned not to feed the bears.• Giraffes and upstanding bears are more popular than snakes, rats and spiders.From Longman Business Dictionarybearbear /beəber/ noun [countable]FINANCE someone who thinks that prices of shares, bonds, currencies, or basic goods are going to fall, and who may sell shares, bonds etc they do not actually own, expecting to be able to obtain them more cheaply later, before they have to deliver them to the buyerThe bears argue that after the stock market’s dramatic rise, shares are bound to fall again.The bears took hold of the company, sending the shares 5p lower to 159p.A contingent of dollar bears (=people who think that the price of the dollar is going to fall) still persists in the market. → compare bullOrigin bear1 Old English beran bear2 Old English bera 