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Glite Dictionary
to bear the thought

to bear the thought

9 6.1
To accept or live with an idea that makes you unhappy
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : soportar la idea
  • I can't bear the thought of losing any more.

Many cannot bear the thought without a cold sweat, he says.

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Examples

  • I couldn't bear the thought of leaving you.

    Brief Encounter (1945)

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

    Blue Like Jazz (2012)

  • I cannot bear the thought of losing any more of you.

    The Point Men (2001)

  • The point is you cannot bear the thought of me having any fun, can you?

    Drifter (2008)

  • There are some women, it is said, who cannot bear the thought of success.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I sat down then, though I could not bear the thought of waiting.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Many cannot bear the thought without a cold sweat, he says.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • I just can't bear the thought of him getting hurt again.

    Dream Horse (2021)

  • I couldn't bear the thought of losing you again.

    The Vow (2012)

  • I cannot bear the thought of losing my best friend to illness.

Synonyms

to accept
vsto bear the thought
∞ 3.5

To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining

is about enduring an unpleasant idea or possibility rather than a real situation
to live with
vsto bear the thought
563 3.9

To accept something unpleasant that you cannot change

refers to handling the idea or possibility rather than ongoing realities
to tolerate
vsto bear the thought
290 3.5

Endure something unpleasant without complaining

is about coping with the idea or possibility rather than enduring physical actions
to swallow
vsto bear the thought
  • Informal
146 7.2

To accept something unpleasant without protest

focuses on handling the idea of something distressing rather than believing it true
to come to terms with
vsto bear the thought
76 4.1

To accept a difficult or unpleasant situation

describes immediate handling of an unpleasant idea rather than a long process
to face the truth
vsto bear the thought
16 3.7

Accept real facts even when they are painful

involves quietly enduring an unpleasant idea rather than actively confronting reality

Antonyms

to reject
839 1.9

Refuse to accept someone or something

How Bearable

to bear the thought
  • Informal
9 6.1

Surface Forms

bear the thought infinitive
bearing the thought present participle
bears the thought third person singular
bore the thought past
bore the thought past participle

Morphology

bear + the + thought

The meaning 'to tolerate the idea' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'bear' (to tolerate) with 'thought' (an idea); the definite article 'the' does not change the compositional semantics. This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Bear the thought comes from the old meaning of bear as 'to carry' and the image of a thought as something you must carry. So, imagine carrying a heavy idea like a heavy bag that is hard to hold, and that is why the phrase means 'to tolerate an unpleasant idea'.