bear
gb/bˈɛɹ/ us/bˈɛɹ/
A2
English
~ 600
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Carry or support weight
To hold up and move something heavy.
Usage pattern:
to bear [something/someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'bear' with 'bare', which means 'not covered'.
Synonyms
carry (Common, general term for taking something from one place to another.)
|
support (Focuses on holding up weight without necessarily moving it.)
Antonyms
drop (To let something fall instead of holding or carrying it.)
Collocations
bear the weight
|bear a load
|bear a child
|bear the burden
Themes
daily life
|physical actions
|daily_life
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The bridge must bear the weight of heavy trucks.
- She could hardly bear the box up the stairs.
- The columns bear the roof's weight.
Learner examples
- I can bear this bag for you.
- The table can bear many books.
- These shoes cannot bear my weight.
Verb
B1
action
2
Tolerate something unpleasant
To stay patient and not give up when something is hard or hurts.
Usage pattern:
to bear [pain/difficulty/situation]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'bear' meaning 'tolerate' with 'bear' meaning 'carry'. Context must be checked.
Synonyms
endure (Often more formal; to last through difficulty.)
|
tolerate (Focuses on allowing something to continue without protest.)
Antonyms
avoid (To keep away from something unpleasant instead of enduring it.)
Collocations
bear the pain
|bear the thought
|bear hardship
|bear with
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I can't bear the noise any longer.
- She bore the loss with great courage.
- He could barely bear the heat.
Learner examples
- I can't bear this cold.
- She can bear the pain.
- We must bear this bad news.
Verb
B2
action
3
Give birth to young
To have a baby or young animal.
Usage pattern:
to bear [a child/offspring]
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse 'bear' in casual speech where 'have' or 'give birth to' is more natural.
Synonyms
give birth to (More common in everyday speech; less formal.)
Antonyms
miscarry (To lose a pregnancy before the baby is born.)
Collocations
bear a child
|bear offspring
|bear twins
Themes
family
|biology
|animals
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She bore three children during her marriage.
- The mare bore a healthy foal.
- In ancient times, women often bore many children.
Learner examples
- The woman will bear a baby soon.
- The cat bore three kittens.
- She bore a child last year.
Noun
A2
entity
4
Large furry mammal
A big animal with thick fur that lives in forests or mountains.
Synonyms
ursid (Technical zoological term; rarely used outside scientific contexts.)
Collocations
polar bear
|brown bear
|grizzly bear
Themes
animals
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- A brown bear was spotted near the village.
- Polar bears are adapted to live in cold climates.
- The zoo has a new panda bear.
Learner examples
- The bear is big and strong.
- I saw a bear in the forest.
- A polar bear lives in the snow.
Verb
B1
action
5
Move in a direction
To go toward a direction when moving.
Usage pattern:
to bear [left/right/north/etc.]
Synonyms
turn (General term; 'bear' is more gradual and directional.)
Antonyms
veer away from (To change direction away from something rather than toward it.)
Collocations
bear left
|bear right
Themes
travel
|transportation
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Bear left after the traffic lights.
- We bore north toward the mountains.
- The road bears right at the fork.
Learner examples
- Bear left at the park.
- The car bears right here.
- We must bear north to reach the city.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bear
IPA
GB/bˈɛɹ/
US/bˈɛɹ/
Syllables & stress
bear (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (bear)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bear
- Plural: bear, bears
Verb
- Base: bear
- 3rd Person Singular: bears
- Present Participle: bearing
- Past: bore
- Past Participle: born, borne
Word family
Core family
bearable
adjective
Related words
bearer
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unbearable
adjective B2
unbearably
adverb
Highlights
- Irregular past: bore Verb
- Irregular past participle: born, borne Verb
Expressions
bear with (someone/something)
1/bˈɛɹ wˈɪθ sˈoʊmˈoʊnsəmˈɛθɪŋ/
phrasal verb
Be patient with someone/something difficult or slow
To wait calmly for someone or something without getting angry or upset.
Examples
- Please bear with me while I find your file.
- Bear with us during this short delay.
can't bear (something) / can't bear to (do something)
1/kˈænt bˈɛɹ sˈʌmθɪŋ kˈænt bˈɛɹ tə dˈu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Be unable to tolerate something unpleasant
To not be able to accept or deal with something because it is too unpleasant.
Examples
- I can't bear loud noises.
- She can't bear to see animals suffer.
loaded for bear
1/lˈoʊdɪd fɚ bˈɛɹ/
idiom
informal
Fully prepared for confrontation or challenge
To be ready and have everything you need for a hard task or fight.
Examples
- The lawyers came loaded for bear.
- She walked into the meeting loaded for bear.
grin and bear it
1/ɡɹˈɪn ˈænd bˈɛɹ ˈɪt/
idiom
informal
Accept unpleasantness without complaint
To accept something bad without saying anything, even if you don't like it.
Examples
- The job is tough, but I just grin and bear it.
- He didn't like the decision, but he grinned and bore it.
grin and bear it
1/ɡɹˈɪn ˈænd bˈɛɹ ˈɪt/
idiom
accept something unpleasant patiently
to accept something bad and not complain
Examples
- The flight was delayed again, but we just had to grin and bear it.
- He hates the new schedule, yet he’s decided to grin and bear it for now.
grin and bear it
2/ɡɹˈɪn ˈænd bˈɛɹ ˈɪt/
idiom
Endure something unpleasant quietly
To accept something bad without complaining, even if you do not like it.
Examples
- The meeting was boring, but I had to grin and bear it.
- Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it when things go wrong.
bear in mind
1/bˈɛɹ ˈɪn mˈaɪnd/
idiom
Remember or consider something important
To remember or think about something important when you do something.
Examples
- Bear in mind that prices may change.
- You should bear in mind his lack of experience.
bear in mind
2/bˈɛɹ ˈɪn mˈaɪnd/
idiom
Remember and consider information
To remember something when you are thinking or deciding about something else.
Examples
- Bear in mind that prices may change without notice.
- You should bear in mind how long the trip takes before agreeing.
bear in mind
3/bˈɛɹ ˈɪn mˈaɪnd/
idiom
remember and consider something
To remember and think about something when you are doing or deciding something else.
Examples
- Bear in mind that traffic will be heavy during rush hour.
- You should bear in mind his lack of experience when assigning tasks.