📒 to be able to accept and deal with something unpleasant
- bear something The pain was almost more than he could bear.
- She bore it all with her usual patience.
- She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.
📒 to take responsibility for something
- She bore the responsibility for most of the changes.
- Do parents have to bear the whole cost of tuition fees?
- In the end it's consumers who bear the burden of higher prices.
📒 to support the weight of somebody/something
- The ice is too thin to bear your weight.
📒 to show something; to carry something so that it can be seen
- The document bore her signature.
- He was badly wounded in the war and still bears the scars.
- She bears little resemblance to (= is not much like) her mother.
📒 to not be suitable for something
- bear something Her later work does not bear comparison with her earlier novels (= because it is not nearly as good).
- The plan won't bear close inspection (= it will be found to be unacceptable when carefully examined).
- bear doing something The joke doesn't bear repeating (= because it is not funny or may offend people).
📒 to have a feeling, especially a negative feeling
- bear something He bears no resentment towards them.
- He's borne a grudge against me ever since that day.
- bear somebody something He's borne me a grudge ever since that day.
📒 to have a particular name
- a family that bore an ancient and honoured name
📒 to carry somebody/something, especially while moving
- three kings bearing gifts
- Guests starting arriving, mostly bearing gifts.
- He returned bearing a basket of vegetables.
📒 to move, behave or act in a particular way
- He bears himself (= stands, walks, etc.) proudly, like a soldier.
- She bore herself with dignity throughout the funeral.
📒 to give birth to a child
- bear something She was not able to bear children.
- bear somebody something She had borne him six sons.
📒 to produce flowers or fruit
- These trees take a long time to bear fruit.
📒 to go or turn in the direction mentioned
- When you get to the fork in the road, bear right.
📒 to be a soldier; to fight
📒 to have a successful result
📒 to be a cause of difficulty or worry to somebody
- Taxation bears heavily on us all.
- The burden of the tax bore most heavily on the poor.
📒 to remember somebody/something; to remember or consider that…
- You don't have to do anything about it now… just bear it in mind.
- Here are some important points to keep in mind…
- I'll keep what you say in mind.
📒 to receive the main force of something unpleasant
- Schools will bear the brunt of cuts in government spending.
📒 to provide evidence of the truth of something
- The crowd of mourners at his funeral bore witness to the great affection in which he was held.
- The ancient temples bear silent witness to the passing dynasties.
📒 to be realized by somebody, especially after a period of time
- It was gradually borne in on us that defeat was inevitable.
📒 to use energy, pressure, influence, etc. to try to achieve something or make somebody do something
- We must bring all our energies to bear upon the task.
- Pressure was brought to bear on us to finish the work on time.
📒 to accept pain or bad luck without complaining
- There's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to grin and bear it.
📒 to have a difficult problem that makes you worried or unhappy but that you have to deal with
- We all have our crosses to bear.