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to bear

to bear

425 3.9
To accept something difficult or unpleasant
  • verb
  • /bɛr/
: soportar
  • He had to bear the heavy burdens of responsibility at such a young age.
  • bear the brunt
  • bear the burden
  • bear responsibility

Which of these two could I bear living with the regret of?

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Examples

  • My punishment is mine to bear and mine to bear alone.

  • How can you bear to see him go?

  • Nobody else on the plane wants to bear that responsibility.

  • And it's it's getting to be too much to bear to not be myself.

  • Only you know what you can bear, but the issue is seeing it clearly.

  • Working married women could not bear the responsibility both at home and at work.

    Academic text (2008)
  • And I'm not willing to make them bear that cost.

  • You should only do it if you can't bear to not do it.

  • And I can't bear the thought of Christmas without you.

  • You will have to bear all the blame for such misfortunes.

Synonyms

to stand
vsto bear
∞ 3.1

To resist harm and continue to exist despite difficulty

is the general idea that includes resisting and patient staying
to accept
vsto bear
870 3.5

To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining

is wider, also meaning steady patient handling over time
to live with
vsto bear
684 3.9

To accept something unpleasant that you cannot change

is more general, applying to both temporary and permanent cases
to endure
vsto bear
326 3.5

To deal with something difficult for a long time without giving up

places more weight on lasting duration than simple acceptance
to put up with
vsto bear
265 4.3

To accept something unpleasant without complaining

is more neutral, covering both quietness and active managing
to cope with
vsto bear
170 2.9

Manage a difficult problem, situation or strong feeling

is less about solving and more about steady long patience
to tolerate
vsto bear
139 3.5

Endure something unpleasant without complaining

is broader, covering both passive allowance and active long patience
to stomach
vsto bear
34 5.5

To be able to tolerate something you dislike

is broader, also including long patience or deliberate handling
to abide
vsto bear
26 4.6

To not tolerate someone or something unpleasant

is the general notion of allowing hardship without stressing negativity
to grin and bear it
vsto bear
  • Informal
3 6.8

To accept an unpleasant situation without complaining

covers the same endurance but without forced outward cheerfulness

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

760 1.9

Refuse to accept someone or something

Idioms

16 6.7

Take the worst part of something bad

11 7.2

A hard burden someone must live with

loaded for bear
  • Informal
4 9.2

Ready and well prepared to face a strong challenge

to poke the bear
  • Informal
4 8.4

To do something on purpose to make an angry or dangerous person react

3 6.8

To accept an unpleasant situation without complaining

9.9

Win first place in a competition

To behave calmly and with self-respect in difficult or formal situations

To say yes strongly in an informal, rude way

Phrasal Verbs

61 5.1

To be connected with or affect something

Remember something when you decide or think about it

44 4.8

To be patient with someone while they fix something

40 4.6

Show that something is true, often by signs or by people saying they saw it

35 5.1

To use effort or knowledge to solve a problem

33 4.7

Show by facts that something is true

19 5.8

Move quickly and forcefully toward someone or something to attack

To press hard on something with great force

14 6.1

To accept or live with an idea that makes you unhappy

9 4.4

To stay strong and positive when facing hard times

6 7.0

Press hard on something or make it feel heavy

6 7.0

To push someone to do or finish something

4 6.8

Move a person or thing from one place into a different state, often by force

4 5.4

Use all your effort and focus on something difficult

To use influence to persuade someone to do something

3 5.8

Have an effect on or relate to something

2 8.1

Push the lower belly muscles during childbirth to help the baby out

to bear down upon
  • Specialized
1 8.2

Sail a ship close to another one, usually to attack

1 7.0

To carry someone or something away from a place to another

to bear down on
  • Specialized
1 7.7

To move a ship toward another ship often to attack it

Cannot stand something because it is too unpleasant or upsetting

Compounds

85 1.0

A soft toy shaped like a bear that children hug

70 1.1

A large white bear that lives in the Arctic and hunts seals on sea ice

34 3.1

A large, powerful brown bear that lives in mountains and forests in western North America

18 1.0

A medium-sized wild animal in North America with black or dark brown fur

bear market
  • Specialized
16 5.3

A time when stock prices fall a lot and people expect them to keep falling

12 3.0

A very strong, tight hold with your arms around someone

9 1.9

A large, powerful wild animal with brown fur that lives in forests in Asia and North America

9 1.0

A young bear that still depends on its mother

8 1.0

A large black and white bear from China that eats mostly bamboo

koala bear
  • Australian
8 1.0

A slow tree animal from Australia with grey fur that eats eucalyptus leaves and carries its babies in a pouch

5 6.4

A sharp claw from a bear used as an ornament or piece of jewelry

Care Bear
  • Baby Talk
3 3.0

A made-up colorful bear character with a symbol on its belly showing a feeling

2 2.3

A large white bear that lives in the Arctic and hunts seals

2 5.5

A very large brown bear that lives on Kodiak Island and nearby coasts

1 2.9

A sweet yeast pastry shaped like a semicircle with slits

average bear
  • Informal
1 7.2

An ordinary person with average skills and no special qualities

1 7.9

An animal from tropical America that lives in trees and uses its long tail to hold branches while eating fruit

bear-baiting
  • Offensive
1 9.9

An old cruel show where a chained bear is attacked by dogs

1 6.3

A legal right for people to own and carry guns

1 7.7

A furry caterpillar with black and brown bands that appears in gardens

1 3.7

A large group of stars in the northern sky that includes the Big Dipper

pookie bear
  • Baby Talk
1 9.9

A loving name someone uses for a partner or child

1 6.3

A medium-sized black bear with a white V-shaped chest patch from central and eastern Asia

sloth bear
  • Indian
1 8.1

A large, hairy bear from south-central Asia that eats ants and termites

1 9.1

A plant that lives for many years with long leaves like grass and tall stalks of white flowers

1 9.9

A large reddish-brown mammal like a raccoon that lives in trees in Southeast Asia

American black bear
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A medium-sized North American bear usually with black or dark brown fur and less aggressive than brown bears

drop bear
  • Australian
1 9.9

A fake dangerous animal Australians joke about that falls from trees onto people to scare tourists

1 8.1

A reddish-brown type of bear found mainly in western North America

1 8.2

A mammal in Africa that is active at night and digs burrows to eat termites

1 8.5

A large hairy South American mammal with a long tongue and strong claws for eating ants

1 3.9

About the same size as a bear and very heavy

A very large brown bear that lives on the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia

A hairy caterpillar with thick, stiff hairs that turns into a small moth

1 8.5

A type of brown bear with pale yellow fur from the Middle East

1 8.4

A small reddish-brown animal like a raccoon that lives in the eastern Himalayas and eats bamboo

bear hug
  • Jargon
1 8.1

An offer to buy a company at a very high price that its directors feel they must accept

1 6.0

A small group of stars in the northern sky that includes the North Star

native bear
  • Australian
1 4.8

A small Australian animal that lives in trees, carries babies in a pouch, and eats eucalyptus leaves

1 9.8

A stocky wild animal from North America with thick fur that eats meat, like a wolverine

1 9.5

A small oak tree that grows like a bush and forms dense thickets

coon bear
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A large black and white bear that eats bamboo

1 7.6

A sweet bun shaped like a bear's paw with almond filling

1 9.9

To set dogs on a bear for people to watch

8.3

A carved or painted design that looks like a bear's claw on pottery and crafts

black bear
  • Indian
3.0

A small wild animal in Asia with black fur and a pale chest patch

A hairy caterpillar with a thick, fuzzy coat and dark bands

How Tolerant

to withstand
138 4.2
to endure
326 3.5
to bear
425 3.9
to tolerate
139 3.5
to put up with
265 4.3

Surface Forms

bear infinitive
bearing present participle
bears third person singular
bore past
born past participle

Etymology

Bear comes from the old German beran meaning 'to carry', so to 'bear' a cost or pain is to 'carry' a burden and accept it.