bear
bear — verb
1. to keep going while pain, trouble, or annoyance is happening, without breaking d
to keep going while pain, trouble, or annoyance is happening, without breaking down or giving up.
Rita bore the long train delay without shouting at the staff.
bear + unpleasant situation
Even after the surgery, Grandpa bore the pain quietly at home.
bear + pain
Our small shop cannot bear another month of high rent.
Mina smiled politely, but she could not bear his rude joke.
The old dog bore the noisy fireworks better than the puppies did.
文法句型
cannot bear + noun
cannot bear + to-infinitive
cannot bear + -ing form
用法筆記
Often appears with 'cannot', 'could not', or another limiting word. The object is usually something unpleasant or difficult; distinguish from sense 3, where the idea is that something is too upsetting even to think about calmly.
常見錯誤
2. to accept that a duty, cost, blame, or result belongs to you, and deal with it y
to accept that a duty, cost, blame, or result belongs to you, and deal with it yourself.
The company will bear the cost of repairing every broken tablet.
bear + the cost
After the crash, both drivers had to bear some blame.
bear + blame
If the trip is canceled, our club must bear the loss.
The landlord refused to bear responsibility for the leaking pipe.
文法句型
bear + responsibility
bear + the cost
bear + the blame/loss
用法筆記
Common with nouns such as 'cost', 'responsibility', 'blame', and 'loss'. The subject is the person or group that accepts the duty or result.
常見錯誤
3. to be so painful, sad, or frightening that the mind does not want to face it.
to be so painful, sad, or frightening that the mind does not want to face it.
The photo of the empty classroom was almost too sad to bear.
too + adjective + to bear
For Emma, the thought of losing her son was hard to bear.
hard to bear
The silence in the hospital room was too heavy to bear.
Seeing the burned house again was more than Luis could bear.
文法句型
too + adjective + to bear
hard to bear
more than [someone] can bear
用法筆記
Most common in patterns like 'too ... to bear' and 'hard to bear'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on emotional weight that feels almost impossible to think about or face.
常見錯誤
4. to have, display, contain, or keep something as part of you or on you, such as a
to have, display, contain, or keep something as part of you or on you, such as a name, a mark, a date, or a feeling.
The silver box bears my grandmother's initials on the lid.
bear + initials/name
Her right arm still bears a thin scar from the bicycle crash.
bear + scar/mark
The concert ticket bears tonight's date and seat number in blue ink.
The village school bears Dr. Lin's name above the front gate.
The letter bore the mayor's signature at the bottom.
文法句型
bear + a name
bear + a date/signature
bear + a scar/mark
用法筆記
Common in formal writing. The object is usually a visible mark, an official name, a date, a signature, or an emotion shown on the face. Distinguish from sense 7 in the other verb chunk: this sense means 'have/show', not 'carry to a place'.
常見錯誤
5. to keep a person or thing raised by taking its weight.
to keep a person or thing raised by taking its weight.
These old wooden beams still bear the kitchen roof safely.
bear + weight of structure
The ice could not bear the farmer and his horse.
bear + person/animal weight
A strong metal hook bore the heavy bag by the door.
This narrow bridge bears school buses and farm trucks every morning.
- drop
to let the weight fall
- collapse under
to fail because the weight is too great
文法句型
bear + weight
bear + load
bear + traffic
用法筆記
The subject is usually a structure, surface, or body part, and the object is the weight it supports. Common in physical and engineering descriptions.
常見錯誤
6. to produce young if an animal is female, or to grow fruit or flowers if it is a
to produce young if an animal is female, or to grow fruit or flowers if it is a plant.
The mango tree bore yellow fruit after the long rainy season.
bear + fruit
That old apple tree still bears fruit every autumn.
In the spring, our lemon bushes bear small white flowers.
The zoo's oldest panda bore two cubs last year.
Goat mothers usually bear one or two kids at a time.
- produce
the broadest equivalent for plants or results
- yield
common for crops and formal writing
- give birth to
used for animals or people, not plants
文法句型
bear + young
bear + fruit
bear + flowers
用法筆記
Mostly seen in formal, literary, biological, or farming contexts. For human birth, everyday speech usually prefers 'have a baby'; for plants, 'bear fruit' and 'bear flowers' are the most usual patterns.
常見錯誤
7. to take a person, thing, or message with you as you move it to another place.
to take a person, thing, or message with you as you move it to another place.
Nina bore the sleeping baby upstairs after the party ended.
bear + object + place
A young waiter bore our trays across the crowded dining room.
Two nurses bore the stretcher into the ambulance through the rain.
The wagon bore fresh apples to the town market at dawn.
Porters bore supplies up the mountain path before sunrise.
文法句型
bear + object + place
用法筆記
Common in literary or historical writing, often with an object plus a destination. In everyday speech, people usually say 'carry' or 'take' instead.
常見錯誤
8. to turn a little and continue moving toward a particular side or direction.
to turn a little and continue moving toward a particular side or direction.
At the fork, drivers bear left toward the old stone bridge.
bear left/right
The path bears east after the lake and climbs the hill.
bear + compass direction
Our boat bore slightly south to avoid the line of rocks.
Cyclists must bear right where the market road meets the river.
The narrow trail bears north once you pass the pine trees.
文法句型
bear left/right
bear + compass direction
用法筆記
Usually appears with 'left', 'right', or a compass direction, and it does not take a direct object. Distinguish from sense 7, where something is physically carried.
常見錯誤
9. to say, based on what you directly saw or knew, that an event really took place
to say, based on what you directly saw or knew, that an event really took place or a fact is correct.
Village doctor Mei can bear witness to the flood's damage.
bear witness to + noun
Three nurses bore witness that the patient was breathing at noon.
bear witness + that-clause
I can bear witness to the help Amara gave us after the flood.
The old coach bore witness that Elena trained through every storm.
Old miners bore witness to the unsafe tunnel conditions in court.
- deny
say that something did not happen or is not true
文法句型
bear witness to + noun
bear witness + that-clause
用法筆記
Almost always appears with the noun 'witness', followed by 'to' plus a noun or by a that-clause. Distinguish from sense 10, where an object or sign proves something without speaking.
常見錯誤
10. to show that something is true because a sign, object, or condition points to it
to show that something is true because a sign, object, or condition points to it.
The cracked harbor walls bear testimony to years of salt wind.
bear testimony to + noun
The scar on his wrist bears witness to the factory fire.
bear witness to + noun for visible proof
The empty classroom desks bear testimony that many families left town.
These faded letters bear witness to Rosa and Helen's wartime friendship.
The broken lock bore testimony to a hurried escape through the gate.
- prove
more direct and less formal
- show
broad everyday word
- demonstrate
formal and often used in writing
- disprove
show that something is not true
文法句型
bear testimony to + noun
bear witness to + noun
bear testimony + that-clause
用法筆記
The subject is usually an object, record, mark, or visible condition. Distinguish from sense 9, where a person states what they know from direct experience.
常見錯誤
11. to say what is untrue as a witness, especially in legal or religious language.
to say what is untrue as a witness, especially in legal or religious language.
In court, the driver bore false witness against his old boss.
fixed phrase: bear false witness against
The priest warned the boys never to bear false witness for money.
fixed phrase: bear false witness
Rosa refused to bear false witness even after the gang threatened her.
The judge jailed a witness who had borne false witness before.
- perjure oneself
formal legal term for lying under oath
- lie
the general everyday word
- give false evidence
plain explanation rather than a set phrase
- tell the truth
general opposite
- testify truthfully
formal opposite in court settings
文法句型
bear false witness
bear false witness against + someone
用法筆記
Used almost only in the fixed phrase 'bear false witness', often in legal or biblical language. It is not the normal way to describe an everyday lie.
常見錯誤
bear — noun
1. a very large wild animal with thick fur and strong claws, often living in cold r
a very large wild animal with thick fur and strong claws, often living in cold regions of Europe, Asia, or North America.
A brown bear crossed the road near the mountain camp.
a brown bear
At dawn, the hikers saw a bear fishing beside the river.
The zoo's oldest bear slept in a pool of shade.
Bear tracks led the park ranger to a cave above the lake.
文法句型
a brown/black/polar bear
bear tracks
用法筆記
Often appears with type words such as 'brown', 'black', and 'polar'. Distinguish from senses 2 and 3, which refer to people rather than the animal.
常見錯誤
2. a man in gay communities, often older, with a large build and lots of body hair,
a man in gay communities, often older, with a large build and lots of body hair, who identifies with bear culture.
At the club's Pride night, Daniel introduced Leo as a friendly bear from Kaohsiung.
a friendly bear
The dating app lets users search for bears in their area.
search for bears
During Pride, the bear group marched together behind a yellow banner.
In the film, the main character falls for a bear at Pride.
- twink
gay slang for a younger, slim, smooth-looking man
文法句型
a friendly bear
the bear community
用法筆記
Common in gay community talk, social groups, and dating apps. It usually points to body type and identity, not to a person's mood or personality.
常見錯誤
3. a trader who thinks a market will fall, so they sell now and plan to buy the sam
a trader who thinks a market will fall, so they sell now and plan to buy the same shares or goods back later for less.
After the poor forecast, a bear sold the airline shares at once.
a bear sold the shares
On the business channel, bears and bulls argued over next month's oil prices.
bulls and bears
Traders called Mina a bear after she sold her oil shares, expecting cheaper prices later.
Every bear hopes to buy back the airline stock after prices drop.
- short seller
the most exact finance term for this role
- market pessimist
broader and less technical; it stresses the negative view
- speculator
a broader market word that can describe either side of a trade
- bull
an investor who expects prices to rise
文法句型
a bear on [a market/stock]
bulls and bears
用法筆記
Usually appears in finance writing and often contrasts with 'bull'. A bear expects falling prices and may sell before the drop.