I. VERB USES
/beə(r)/
( bears, bearing, bore, borne)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
Please look at category 18 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1.
If you bear something somewhere, you carry it there or take it there. ( LITERARY )
They bore the oblong hardwood box into the kitchen and put it on the table.
= carry
VERB : V n adv / prep
• -bearing
...food-bearing lorries.
COMB in ADJ
2.
If you bear something such as a weapon, you hold it or carry it with you. ( FORMAL )
...the constitutional right to bear arms.
VERB : V n
• -bearing
...rifle-bearing soldiers.
...hundreds of flag-bearing marchers.
COMB in ADJ
3.
If one thing bears the weight of something else, it supports the weight of that thing.
The ice was not thick enough to bear the weight of marching men.
= support
VERB : V n
• -bearing
...the load-bearing joints of the body.
COMB in ADJ
4.
If something bears a particular mark or characteristic, it has that mark or characteristic.
The houses bear the marks of bullet holes.
...note paper bearing the Presidential seal...
The room bore all the signs of a violent struggle.
VERB : V n , V n , V n
5.
If you bear an unpleasant experience, you accept it because you are unable to do anything about it.
They will have to bear the misery of living in constant fear of war...
= endure
VERB : V n
6.
If you can’t bear someone or something, you dislike them very much.
I can’t bear people who make judgements and label me...
He can’t bear to talk about it, even to me.
VERB : with neg , V n / -ing , V to-inf
7.
If someone bears the cost of something, they pay for it.
Patients should not have to bear the costs of their own treatment.
VERB : V n
8.
If you bear the responsibility for something, you accept responsibility for it.
If a woman makes a decision to have a child alone, she should bear that responsibility alone.
= accept
VERB : V n
9.
If one thing bears no resemblance or no relationship to another thing, they are not at all similar.
Their daily menus bore no resemblance whatsoever to what they were actually fed...
For many software packages, the price bears little relation to cost.
= have
VERB : usu with brd-neg , V n , V n
10.
When a plant or tree bears flowers, fruit, or leaves, it produces them.
As the plants grow and start to bear fruit they will need a lot of water.
= produce
VERB : V n
• -bearing
...a strong, fruit-bearing apple tree.
COMB in ADJ
11.
If something such as a bank account or an investment bears interest, interest is paid on it. ( BUSINESS )
The eight-year bond will bear annual interest of 10.5%.
VERB : V n
• -bearing
...interest-bearing current accounts.
COMB in ADJ
12.
When a woman bears a child, she gives birth to him or her. ( OLD-FASHIONED )
Emma bore a son called Karl...
She bore him a daughter, Suzanna.
VERB : V n , V n n
13.
If you bear yourself in a particular way, you move or behave in that way. ( LITERARY )
There was elegance and simple dignity in the way he bore himself.
= carry
VERB : V pron-refl adv / prep
14.
If you bear left or bear right when you are driving or walking along, you turn and continue in that direction.
Go left onto the A107 and bear left into Seven Sisters Road.
= veer
VERB : V adv
15.
see also bore , borne
16.
If you bring something to bear on a situation, you use it to deal with that situation.
British scientists have brought computer science to bear on this problem.
PHRASE : V inflects
17.
If you bring pressure or influence to bear on someone, you use it to try and persuade them to do something.
His companions brought pressure to bear on him, urging him to stop wasting money.
PHRASE : V inflects
18.
to bear the brunt of: see brunt
to bear fruit: see fruit
to grin and bear it: see grin
to bear in mind: see mind
to bear witness to: see witness
II. NOUN USES
/beə(r)/
( bears)
1.
A bear is a large, strong wild animal with thick fur and sharp claws.
N-COUNT
see also polar bear , teddy bear
2.
On the stock market, bears are people who sell shares in expectation of a drop in price, in order to make a profit by buying them back again after a short time. Compare bull . ( BUSINESS )
N-COUNT : usu pl