baer
B1Neutral to formal depending on sense; 'carry/endure' sense is common in everyday, literary, and formal use; the animal sense is everyday.
Definition
Meaning
A large, heavy mammal with thick fur and a short tail; to carry, support, or endure something, especially a weight or burden.
To tolerate or withstand something difficult; to give birth to; to produce or yield (fruit, crops); to assume (responsibility, cost); to move in a specified direction.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The verb 'bear' is highly polysemous. The core physical sense ('carry') is now somewhat formal or idiomatic ('bear a resemblance'). The 'endure/tolerate' sense is very common in emotional/psychological contexts. The past participle is 'borne' for most senses, but 'born' for passive of giving birth.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use all core senses. Slight preference in UK for 'bear left/right' (direction); US equally uses 'turn left/right'.
Connotations
Identical.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in UK in formal/legal phrases ('bear witness', 'bear the cost').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
bear + NP (bear a burden)bear + to-infinitive (formal: cannot bear to see)bear + V-ing (can't bear waiting)bear + NP + PP (bear a resemblance to)bear + adverb particle (bear up, bear out)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “bear the brunt of”
- “bear in mind”
- “bear fruit”
- “bear a grudge”
- “bear witness”
- “bring to bear”
- “grin and bear it”
- “like a bear with a sore head”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To bear the cost/expense; the investment bore fruit; market cannot bear higher prices.
Academic
The theory bears examination; evidence bears out the hypothesis; to bear relation to.
Everyday
I can't bear this noise; bear left at the lights; she bore the pain bravely.
Technical
A beam bears the load; soil that will bear crops; a bearing (engineering).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The wall cannot bear the weight.
- I can't bear queueing for hours.
- Bear left after the roundabout.
- She has borne the responsibility well.
American English
- The beam won't bear that much load.
- I can't bear waiting in long lines.
- Bear right at the fork.
- She has borne the burden alone.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- N/A (Bear is not an adjective). 'Bare' is a different word.
American English
- N/A
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The bear is big and brown.
- I can't bear loud music.
- Bear right to go to the park.
- You must bear the cost of repairs.
- His efforts finally bore fruit.
- Please bear in mind that the shop closes early.
- The pillar bears the weight of the entire structure.
- She bore her illness with incredible courage.
- The witness will bear out my story.
- The similarity their strategies bear is uncanny.
- He bears a grudge against his former employer.
- The full implications of the decision are yet to be borne.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a BEAR carrying a heavy weight on its back – it has to BEAR it.
Conceptual Metaphor
LIFE IS A BURDEN (bear a burden), PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE IS PHYSICAL WEIGHT (can't bear the pressure), SUCCESS IS HARVEST (bear fruit).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse 'bear' (терпеть, нести) with 'bare' (голый).
- The animal 'bear' is медведь, but the verb has many translations (нести, терпеть, рождать, приносить).
- 'Bear in mind' means 'помнить, учитывать', not 'держать в голове как медведя'.
- Past participle 'borne' vs. 'born' (рождённый) is a common error.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: I born in London. Correct: I was born in London. / The cost was borne by the company.
- Incorrect: He can't to bear the thought. Correct: He can't bear the thought. / He can't bear to think of it.
- Misspelling 'bear' as 'bare'.
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'The cost will be borne by the committee', what does 'borne' mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Bear' is primarily a verb (to carry, endure) or a noun (the animal). 'Bare' is an adjective (uncovered) or a verb (to uncover).
Use 'born' only for the literal sense of coming into the world ('I was born in May'). Use 'borne' for all other uses of the past participle ('costs were borne', 'she has borne three children' is also correct).
It's a polite request for patience, meaning 'please wait a moment' or 'be patient with me'.
It depends on the sense. 'Bear' as an animal is neutral. The verb senses range from everyday ('can't bear the heat') to formal/idiomatic ('bear witness', 'bear the responsibility').