bear
- Top 1000
Sense 1
- noun
- A1
A very large strong wild animal with thick fur, short legs and a short tail, that can stand on its back legs.
A bear stood up on its hind legs to reach the branch.
We keep all our food in a locked metal box because of bears.
The bear turned over a heavy stone and licked up the insects.
Bears can smell an open packet of food from far away.
Common collocations: brown bear · polar bear · bear cub · bear tracks
Part of: Animals
Sense 2 · less common
- verb
- A2
To accept something painful or unpleasant without giving up or complaining.
I can't bear the noise from the building site next door.
She could hardly bear to watch the last few minutes.
He bore the pain for hours without a single complaint.
Waiting for the results was harder to bear than the operation.
Common collocations: can't bear · hard to bear · bear the pain · bear it in silence
Part of: Negative emotions
Forms
- past
- bore
- past_participle
- borne