bear¹ / be(ə)r/ • v. (past bore / bôr/ ; past part. borne / bôrn/ ) [tr.] 1. (of a person) carry: he was bearing a tray of brimming glasses. ∎  have or display as a visible mark or feature: a small boat bearing a white flag. ∎  (bear oneself) carry or conduct oneself in a particular manner: she bore herself with dignity.2. support: walls that cannot bear a stone vault. ∎  take responsibility for: no one likes to bear the responsibility for such decisions. ∎  be able to accept or stand up to: it is doubtful whether either of these distinctions would bear scrutiny.3. endure (an ordeal or difficulty): she bore the pain stoically. ∎  manage to tolerate (a situation or experience): she could hardly bear his sarcasm I cannot bear to see you hurt ∎  (cannot bear someone/something) strongly dislike: I can't bear caviar.4. give birth to (a child): she bore six daughters his wife had borne him a son. ∎  (of a tree or plant) produce (fruit or flowers): a squash that bears fruit shaped like cucumbers.5. [intr.] turn and proceed in a specified direction: bear left and follow the old road.PHRASES: bear arms1. carry firearms.2. wear or display a coat of arms.bear the burden of suffer the consequences of.bear fruit fig. yield positive results: plans for power-sharing may be about to bear fruit.bear someone malice (or ill will) wish someone harm.bear the stamp of be clearly identifiable with: their tactics bear the stamp of Soviet military training.bear witness (or testimony) to testify to: little is left to bear witness to the past greatness of the city.bring to bear1. muster and use to effect: she had reservations about how much influence she could bring to bear.2. aim (a weapon): bringing his rifle to bear on a distant target.does not bear thinking about is too terrible to contemplate.PHRASAL VERBS: bear down (of a woman in labor) exert downward pressure in order to push the baby out. ∎  put pressure on someone or something: he bore down and allowed the Bears only one more run.bear down on move quickly toward someone, in a purposeful or an intimidating manner.bear on be relevant to (something): two kinds of theories that bear on literary studies. ∎  be a burden on (someone): a tax that will bear heavily on poorer households.bear something out support or confirm something: this assumption is not borne out by any evidence.bear with be patient or tolerant with.bear² • n. 1. a large, heavy, mostly omnivorous mammal of the family Ursidae that walks on the soles of its feet, with thick fur and a very short tail. ∎  a teddy bear. ∎ inf. a rough, unmannerly, or uncouth person. ∎  a large, heavy, cumbersome man: a lumbering bear of a man. ∎  (the Bear) the constellation Ursa Major or Ursa Minor. 2. Stock Market a person who forecasts that prices of stocks or commodities will fall, esp. a person who sells shares hoping to buy them back later at a lower price: [as adj.] bear markets. Often contrasted with bull¹ (sense 2 of the noun ). PHRASES: loaded for bear inf. fully prepared for any eventuality, typically a confrontation or challenge.