bear

transitive verb bore, borne or born, bearing bear′·ing

1. 1. to hold and take along; carry; transport
   2. to hold in the mind to bear a secret
2. to possess as a part, characteristic, attribute, etc.; have or show the letter bore his signature
3. to give birth to: the passive past participle in this sense is born when by does not follow
4. to bring forth; produce or yield fruit-bearing trees, coal-bearing strata
5. to support or hold up; sustain
6. to sustain the burden of; take on; take care of to bear the cost
7. 1. to undergo successfully; withstand; endure her work won't bear scrutiny
   2. to put up with; tolerate she can't bear him
8. to call for; require his actions bear watching
9. to carry or conduct (oneself)
10. to carry over or hold (a sentiment) to bear a grudge
11. to bring and tell (a message, tales, etc.)
12. to move or push as if carrying the crowd bore us along
13. to give, offer, or supply to bear witness

Etymology: ME beren < OE beran < IE base *bher-, to carry, bring > L ferre, Gr pherein, Sans bharati, (he) bears

intransitive verb

1. to be productive the tree bears well
2. 1. to lie in a given direction the lighthouse bears due east
   2. to point or be aimed toward: with on or upon artillery deployed to bear on the fort
   3. to move in a given direction bear right at the corner
3. to have bearing (on); have a relation his story bears on the crime
4. to tolerate; put up patiently (with)
5. to be oppressive; weigh grief bears heavily on her

noun pl. bears or bear

1. any of a family (Ursidae) of large, heavy, omnivorous carnivores that walk flat on the soles of their feet and have shaggy fur and a very short tail: bears are native to temperate and arctic zones
2. a person who is clumsy, rude, gruff, churlish, etc.

3. Etymology: short for bearskin jobber < phr. to sell the bearskin, i.e., to sell the skin before the bear is caught

   a person who believes prices on the stock or commodity markets are going to decline, esp. one who sells shares, etc. in the expectation of buying them later at a lower price
4. ☆ Slang a difficult task checking these computer files is a real bear

Etymology: ME bere < OE bera < IE *bheros, brown animal < base *bher-, brown (> brown, beaver, L fiber): orig. euphemism for taboo name prob. seen in L ursus

adjective

Etymology: for the grizzly bears once abundant in the region