bear2
Pronunciation: /bɛː/
noun
- 1a large, heavy mammal which walks on the soles of its feet, having thick fur and a very short tail. Bears are related to the dog family but have an omnivorous diet.
- Family Ursidae: several genera and species
- a teddy bear.
- informal a rough, bad-mannered, or uncouth person: if I make a mistake he goes mad with rage—he’s a bear
- a large, heavy, cumbersome man: a lumbering bear of a man
- (the Bear) informal a nickname for Russia.
- 2 Stock Exchange a person who sells shares hoping to buy them back later at a lower price. Often contrasted with bull1.[said to be from a proverb warning against ‘selling the bear's skin before one has caught the bear’]
Phrases
-
like a bear with a sore head
- British informal (of a person) very irritable: he’ll be like a bear with a sore head when he gets up
-
loaded for bear
- North American informal fully prepared for any eventuality, especially a confrontation or challenge: as my ancestors were wont to say, watch out, John Bull, I’m loaded for bear!
Origin:
Old English bera, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch beer and German Bär
Spelling help
The different forms of this verb are:
Do not confuse bear with bare. Bear means 'carry' ( he was bearing a tray of food) or 'put up with', whereas bare is an adjective that means 'naked' or a verb meaning 'uncover, reveal' ( he bared his chest).