(bâr) v. bore (Archaic bare), borne or born, bear·ing v.t.
1. To support; hold up.
2. To carry; convey.
3. To show visibly; carry: to bear a seal or a scar.
4. To conduct or guide.
5. To spread; disseminate: to bear tales.
6. To hold in the mind; maintain or entertain: to bear a grudge.
7. To suffer or endure; undergo.
8. To accept or acknowledge; assume, as responsibility or expense.
9. To produce; give birth to.
10. To conduct or comport (oneself).
11. To manage or carry (oneself or a part of oneself).
12. To press against or thrust back: The wind bore the ship backward.
13. To render; give: to bear witness.
14. To be able to withstand; allow: His story will not bear investigation.
15. To have or stand (in comparison or relation): with to: What relation does this bear to the other?
16. To possess as a right or power: to bear title.
—v.i.
17. To carry burdens; convey.
18. To rest heavily; lean; press: His duties bear heavily upon him.
19. To endure patiently; suffer: often with with: Bear with me.
20. To produce fruit or young.
21. To move, point, or lie in a certain direction; take an aim or course: Later, we bore west.
22. To be relevant; have reference: with on or upon: The argument bears on the subject. See synonyms under ABIDE, CARRY, ENDURE, LEAN, PRODUCE, SUPPORT.
—to bear company To accompany.
—to bear down To force down; overpower or overcome.
—to bear down upon
1. Naut. To approach from the weather side: said of a vessel; hence, to approach.
2. To press hard; put pressure on.
—to bear in mind To keep in recollection; remember.
—to bear out To support; confirm; justify.
—to bear up To keep up strength or spirits.
—to bear upon To be trained upon, as cannon, so as to bring within the line of fire. [<OE beran carry, wear, bear, suffer]

(bâr) noun
1. A large plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammal (family Ursidae) with massive thick-furred body and short tail. ◆ Collateral adjective: ursine.
2. One of various other animals like or likened to a bear: the ant-bear.
3. The caterpillar of the tiger moth.
4. One of two constellations, the Great Bear or the Little Bear.
5. An ill-mannered or morose person.
6. A speculator who seeks to depress prices or who sells in the belief that there is likely to be a decline in prices.
7. Mech. A portable device for punching iron plates.
8. Naut. A weighted block of wood faced with sandstone and used for scouring the decks of a ship.
—Great Bear A large northern constellation (Ursa Major). See CONSTELLATION.
—Little Bear A northern constellation (Ursa Minor) including the polestar. See CONSTELLATION, POINTERS.
—the Bear Russia.
—v.t. To endeavor to depress the price of (stocks, etc.) by selling or offering to sell. ◆ Homophone: bare. [<OE bera]

(bir) noun Scot.
Four-rowed barley: also spelled bere.