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bear2

Syllabification: (bear)
Pronunciation: /be(ə)r/
Translate bear | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bear

noun

  • 1a large, heavy, mammal that walks on the soles of its feet, with thick fur and a very short tail. Bears are related to the dog family, but most species are omnivorous.
    • Family Ursidae: several genera and species
  • a teddy bear.
  • informal a rough, unmannerly, or uncouth person.
  • a large, heavy, cumbersome man:a lumbering bear of a man
  • (the Bear) informal a nickname for Russia.
  • (the Bear) the constellation Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
  • 2 Stock Market a person who forecasts that prices of stocks or commodities will fall, especially a person who sells shares hoping to buy them back later at a lower price: [as modifier]:bear marketsOften contrasted with bull1 (sense 2 of the noun).
    [said to be from a proverb warning against 'selling the bear's skin before one has caught the bear']

Phrases

loaded for bear

North American informal fully prepared for any eventuality, typically a confrontation or challenge.

Origin:

Old English bera; related to Dutch beer and German Bär

bear in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bear in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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