Bear — Defs

01 v. t. To support or sustain; to hold up.

imp. Bore; p. p. Born; p. pr. & vb. n. Bearing

1.
To support or sustain; to hold up.
2.
To support and remove or carry; to convey.
“I 'll bear your logs the while.” — Shak.
3.
To conduct; to bring; -- said of persons.[Obs.]
“Bear them to my house.” — Shak.
4.
To possess and use, as power; to exercise.
“Every man should bear rule in his own house.” — Esther i. 22.
5.
To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as, the tablet bears this inscription.
6.
To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name.
7.
To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor
“The ancient grudge I bear him.” — Shak.
8.
To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer.
“Should such a man, too fond to rule alone, Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne.” — Pope.

“I cannot bear The murmur of this lake to hear.” — Shelley.

“My punishment is greater than I can bear.” — Gen. iv. 13.
9.
To gain or win.[Obs.]
“Some think to bear it by speaking a great word.” — Bacon.

“She was . . . found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge.” — Latimer.
10.
To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense, responsibility, etc.
“He shall bear their iniquities.” — Is. liii. 11.

“Somewhat that will bear your charges.” — Dryden.
11.
To render or give; to bring forward.
12.
To carry on, or maintain; to have.
13.
To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change.
“In all criminal cases the most favorable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear.” — Swift.
14.
To manage, wield, or direct.
“Hath he borne himself penitently in prison?” — Shak.
15.
To afford; to be to; to supply with.
“His faithful dog shall bear him company.” — Pope.
16.
To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear children; to bear interest.
“Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos bore.” — Dryden.

Phrases & compounds

To bear down — To force into a lower place; to carry down; to depress or sink.

To bear a hand — To help; to give assistance.

To bear in hand — to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude.

To bear in mind — to remember.

To bear off — To restrain; to keep from approach.

To bear one hard — to owe one a grudge.

To bear out — To maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last.

To bear up — to support; to keep from falling or sinking.

Syn. To uphold; sustain; maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey; transport; waft.

02 v. i. To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness.

1.
To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness.
“This age to blossom, and the next to bear.” — Dryden.
2.
To suffer, as in carrying a burden.
“But man is born to bear.” — Pope.
3.
To endure with patience; to be patient.
“I can not, can not bear.” — Dryden.
4.
To press; -- with on or upon, or against.
“These men bear hard on the suspected party.” — Addison.
5.
To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to bear.
6.
To relate or refer; -- with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question?
7.
To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect.
“Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform.” — Hawthorne.
8.
To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E.

Phrases & compounds

To bear against — to approach for attack or seizure; as, a lion bears against his prey.

To bear away — to change the course of a ship, and make her run before the wind.

To bear back — to retreat.

To bear down upon — to approach from the windward side; as, the fleet bore down upon the enemy.

To bear in with — to run or tend toward; as, a ship bears in with the land.

To bear off — to steer away, as from land.

To bear up — To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink; as, to bear up under afflictions.

To bear upon — to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to be pointed directly against, or so as to hit (the object); as, to bring or plant guns so as to bear upon a fort or a ship; the artillery bore upon the center.

To bear up to — to tend or move toward; as, to bear up to one another.

To bear with — to endure; to be indulgent to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.

03 n. A bier.

1.
A bier.[Obs.]

04 n. Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects.

1.
Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects.(Zool.)
2.
An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form or habits, but no real affinity; as, the woolly bear; ant bear; water bear; sea bear.(Zool.)
3.
One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.(Astron.)
4.
Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.
5.
A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.(Stock Exchange)
6.
A portable punching machine.(Mach.)
7.
A block covered with coarse matting; -- used to scour the deck.(Naut.)

Phrases & compounds

Australian bear — See Koala.

Bear baiting — the sport of baiting bears with dogs.

Bear caterpillar — the hairy larva of a moth, esp. of the genus Euprepia.

Bear garden — A place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting.

Bear leader — one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his travels.

05 v. t. To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.

1.
To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.(Stock Exchange)

06 n. Barley; the six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hordeum hexastichon or Hordeum vulgare).

1.
Barley; the six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hordeum hexastichon or Hordeum vulgare).(Bot.) [Obs. except in North of Eng. and Scot.]