Word: bear Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English beren (“carry, bring forth”), from Old English beran (“to carry, bear, bring”), from Proto-West Germanic *beran, from Proto-Germanic *beraną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéreti, from *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”). Akin to Old High German beran (“carry”), Dutch baren, Danish bære, Norwegian Bokmål bære, Norwegian Nynorsk bera, German gebären, Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (bairan), Sanskrit भरति (bharati), Latin ferō, and Ancient Greek φέρω (phérō), Albanian bie (“to bring, to bear”), Russian брать (bratʹ, “to take”), Persian بردن (bordan, “to take, to carry”). 1. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: They came bearing gifts. Example: Judging from the look on his face, he wasn't bearing good news. 2. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: the right to bear arms 3. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: The queen bore the royal scepter and crown as she processed into the hall. 4. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: intransitive, rare, transitive Example: The scan showed that the ewe was bearing twins. 5. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: She still bears the scars from a cycling accident. Example: The stone bears a short inscription. 6. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: The shield bore a red cross. 7. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: He bore the look of a defeated man. Example: The body was unclothed, and bore the appearance of being washed up by the sea. 8. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: The school still bears the name of its founder. Example: […] imitations that bear the same name as the things […] 9. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: The dictator bears a terrible reputation for cruelty. 10. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive, usually Example: The bond bears a fixed interest rate of 3.5%. 11. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: Only the male Indian elephant bears tusks. 12. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: to bear a grudge, to bear ill will Example: the ancient grudge I bear him 13. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: rare, transitive Example: The brothers had always borne one another respect. 14. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: to bear life 15. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: The punishment bears no relation to the crime. 16. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: His achievements bear testimony to his ability. Example: The jury could see he was bearing false witness. 17. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: transitive Example: This word no longer bears its original meaning. Example: Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform. 18. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: reflexive, transitive Example: She bore herself well throughout the ordeal. Example: Thus must thou thy body bear. 19. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: rare, transitive Example: Every man should bear rule in his own house. 20. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: intransitive, obsolete, transitive 21. To carry or convey, literally or figuratively. Labels: obsolete, rare, transitive Example: Bear them to my house. 22. To support, sustain, or endure. Labels: transitive Example: This stone bears most of the weight. 23. To support, sustain, or endure. Example: The pain is too much for me to bear. Example: It doesn’t bear thinking about. 24. To support, sustain, or endure. Labels: transitive Example: The hirer must bear the cost of any repairs. Example: He shall bear their iniquities. 25. To support, sustain, or endure. Labels: transitive Example: In all criminal cases the most favourable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear. 26. To support, sustain, or endure. Labels: transitive Example: This storm definitely bears monitoring. Example: An unusually high percentage of the hundreds of gay men who participated in the experimental trials for this vaccine (1978-1980) developed AIDS. Since these trials occurred at about the same time as the first AIDS cases in the same cities […] a possible connection at least bears careful study. 27. To support, keep up, or maintain. Labels: transitive Example: […] admitted to that equal sky, / His faithful dog shall bear him company. 28. To support, keep up, or maintain. Labels: transitive Example: […] and he finds the Pleasure, and Credit of bearing a Part in the Conversation, and of having his Reasons sometimes approved and hearken'd to. 29. To press or impinge upon. Labels: intransitive, usually, with-on Example: The rope has frayed where it bears on the rim of the wheel. Example: These men therefore bear hard upon the suspected party. 30. To press or impinge upon. Labels: figuratively, intransitive Example: to bring arguments to bear Example: How does this bear on the question? 31. To press or impinge upon. Labels: intransitive Example: The cannons were wheeled around to bear upon the advancing troops. Example: 2012, Ronald D. Utt, Ships of Oak, Guns of Iron Constitution's gun crews crossed the deck to the already loaded larboard guns as Bainbridge wore the ship around on a larboard tack and recrossed his path in a rare double raking action to bring her guns to bear again on Java's damaged stern. 32. To produce, yield, give birth to. Labels: ditransitive, transitive Example: In Troy she becomes Paris’ wife, bearing him several children, all of whom die in infancy. Example: The twins were borne by an Italian mother. 33. To produce, yield, give birth to. Labels: intransitive, transitive, uncommon Example: This year our apple trees bore a good crop of fruit. Example: Betwixt two seasons comes th' auspicious air, / This age to blossom, and the next to bear. 34. To be, or head, in a specific direction or azimuth (from somewhere). Labels: intransitive Example: Carry on past the church and then bear left at the junction. Example: By my readings, we're bearing due south, so we should turn about ten degrees east. 35. To gain or win. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: Some think to bear it by speaking a great word. Example: She was […] found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge.