: one that bears: such as
a
b
: a plant yielding fruit
c
d
: one holding a check, draft, bond, or other order for payment especially if marked payable to bearer
—often used attributively
bearer bonds
Examples of bearer in a Sentence
the bearer of a U.S. passport
The check was marked “payable to bearer.”
Recent Examples on the Web
The school has been the courageous standard bearer of academic freedom in the assault on higher education.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Rumble, the drum ensemble that keeps Chiefs fans moving at the games, beat out their rhythms while flag bearers waved giant Chiefs flags at the traffic passing the park.
—Chris Ochsner, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
The couple married in 2019 in a ceremony officiated by Sutskever at OpenAI’s offices, with a robotic hand serving as ring bearer.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Aquarius is the water bearer who encourages us to take our mindfulness to the next step by taking action to spread love and compassion to others.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bearer
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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Rumble, the drum ensemble that keeps Chiefs fans moving at the games, beat out their rhythms while flag bearers waved giant Chiefs flags at the traffic passing the park.
—Chris Ochsner, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
The couple married in 2019 in a ceremony officiated by Sutskever at OpenAI’s offices, with a robotic hand serving as ring bearer.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
Aquarius is the water bearer who encourages us to take our mindfulness to the next step by taking action to spread love and compassion to others.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bearer
Cite this Entry
“Bearer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bearer. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bearer
noun
bear·er
ˈbar-ər 
ˈber-
1
: someone or something that bears, supports, or carries
2
: a person holding a check or order for payment
Legal Definition
bearer
1 of 2 noun
bear·er
ˈbar-ər
: a person holding a check, draft, or other negotiable instrument for payment especially marked payable to bearer or having a blank endorsement
bearer
2 of 2 adjective
: freely transferable by the holder with or without endorsement and with full title passing by delivery to the transferee: as
a
: not having a registered owner
b
: not designating a specific payee
a bearer instrument
bearer checks
compare order
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