bare

adjective

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\ ˈber

barer; barest

Definition of bare

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering

b(1) : lacking clothing bare feet

(2) obsolete : bareheaded

c : lacking any tool or weapon opened the box with his bare hands

2 : open to view : exposed laying bare their secrets

3a : unfurnished or scantily supplied a bare room

b : destitute bare of all safeguards

4a : having nothing left over or added the bare necessities of life

b : mere a bare two hours away

c : devoid of amplification or adornment the bare facts

5 obsolete : worthless

bare

verb

\ ˈber

bared; baring

Definition of bare (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to make or lay (something) bare (see bare entry 1) : uncover

bare

Definition of bare (Entry 3 of 3)

archaic past tense of bear

Other Words from bare Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Usage Note on Bear Usage Note on Bear More Example Sentences Learn More about bare

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Synonyms & Antonyms for bare

Synonyms: Adjective

mere,
very

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Verb

Choose the Right Synonym for bare

Adjective

bare, naked, nude, bald, barren mean deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering. bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable. an apartment with bare walls naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness. poor half-naked children nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure. a nude model posing for art students bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness. a bald mountain peak barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility. barren plains

Usage Note on Bear

Verb

There is considerable confusion between the verbs bear and bare. It may help to remember that the verb bare has only one meaning: "to uncover," as in "bare your shoulders" and "a dog baring its teeth." All other uses of the verb are for bear: "bearing children," "the right to bear arms," "bearing up under the stress/weight," "can't bear the thought," "bear south," "it bears repeating."

There is occasional confusion between bear and bare in adjectival uses (as in "he rubbed his bear arms"), but bear is properly a noun and only used like an adjective in the financial phrase bear market. All other uses refer to the state of being uncovered or naked and should therefore be bare: "bare necessities," "bare essentials," "bare arms," "bare bones," "bare-knuckle," and so on.

Usage Note on Bear

Adjective

Examples of bare in a Sentence

Adjective The brittle-looking branches of bare trees reached up from the horizon, and smoke could be seen curling from the chimneys of the sturdy stone houses in the villages we passed through. — David McAninch, Saveur, November 2008 The dining room is warm and comfortable in a quasi-Tuscan-villa style, with bare wood floors, mottled walls, … and a glass room divider etched with images of grapes. — Colman Andrews, Gourmet, March 2007 A scant two hours after his Derby victory, Monarchos was back in his … stall, beneath a bare bulb, eating carrots from a red bucket. — Steve Rushin, Sports Illustrated, 14 May 2001 There was a rug in the front room of the house, but the other floors were bare. Do not let the bare wires touch. He covered her bare arms with his coat. He had a glove on his left hand, but his right hand was bare. The ground was bare where the statue had stood for years. There was only one bare shelf. Her office was pretty bare, having only one desk and one chair. This is the barest room in the house. He only told me the bare facts about what happened. Verb Ed McMahon calls upon the canine coach to help him settle down his aggressive … terrier, which is nice to Ed but bares its teeth at guests. — TV Guide, 29 Oct.-4 Nov. 2007 You could argue that the very act of conducting a lengthy poll by telephone skews the response pool. What sort of person bares her soul to pollsters for upward of an hour—and during the holiday season yet? — Katha Pollitt, Nation, 4/11 Aug. 2003 When Eastman called Death in the Afternoon (Hemingway's nonfiction book about bullfighting) "a literary style of wearing false hair on the chest," Hemingway had no other options than to bare his hirsute midsection and duke it out with his rival author in front of their editor, Max Perkins. The common mythology is that Hemingway beat Eastman to a bloody pulp, but Perkins' account had Eastman gaining the upper hand. — Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Apr. 2001 The better analogy is to bare all on the talk shows in which ordinary people are encouraged to reveal intimate aspects of their private lives. — Richard A. Posner, New Republic, 21 Aug. 2000 He bared his chest to show the scar. finally bared the secret that she had kept to herself for so long

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The pandemic has laid bare—and exacerbated—the contours of global inequality. — Steve Coll, The New Yorker, "The Politics Behind India’s COVID Crisis," 9 May 2021 Torre hit a dribbler to the third-base side that bounced off Rainey’s bare hand as New York got its first walk-off win this season. — Ronald Bum, courant.com, "Yankees rally past Nationals 4-3 in 11th, Scherzer strikes out 14," 8 May 2021 As bare faces become more common, what will become of masks? — New York Times, "What Will We Do With Our Masks Now?," 8 May 2021 The rise of Stefanik lays bare this reality: Trumpism isn't a a set of policies, values or beliefs. — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "The dirty little secret of Trumpism that Elise Stefanik reveals," 7 May 2021 Pittsburgh loaded the bases in the seventh, but Davies fielded Frazier's tapper with his bare hand and got a forceout at the plate. — Matt Carlson, ajc, "Davies, Pederson lead Cubs over Pirates 3-2, 4th win in row," 7 May 2021 As states restricted in-person work to the bare essentials, millions of women found themselves out of a job. — NBC News, "As the overall job market stumbles back, women still struggle to recover lost employment," 7 May 2021 Retailers are rationing purchases to two boxes at time, while consumers are finding bare shelves in the ammo aisles. — Aaron Smith, Forbes, "Vista Outdoor Never Stops Making Ammo, Feeding Insatiable Demand," 6 May 2021 Using a paper towel, carefully wipe skillet so there is just a bare residue of spray on the pan. — Ryan Scott, Country Living, "Olive’s Naturally Sweet PB&J Pancakes," 6 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Since her return to music early last year following a difficult relapse, Demi Lovato is now prepared to bare her soul in its fullest form. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, "First Out: New Music From St. Vincent, Demi Lovato, Brockhampton & More," 2 Apr. 2021 All of this lays bare the harsh truth that women’s progress in the workforce has been built on an incredibly rickety foundation, one that was reversed in an instant. — Sallie Krawcheck, Fortune, "There’s no ‘I’ in ‘women’: Why teaming up will work to our financial advantage," 10 Mar. 2021 Mills pleaded with her not to bare herself again publicly. — Washington Post, "Fanne Foxe, ‘Argentine Firecracker’ at center of D.C. sex scandal, dies at 84," 24 Feb. 2021 Matt takes them aside one at a time, and this is their last chance to bare it all emotionally. — Ali Barthwell, Vulture, "We Need to Talk About The Bachelor," 16 Feb. 2021 Joe and Justin will form a formidable trio with columnist Heather Knight, whose incisive writing on San Francisco regularly lays bare the critical issues affecting you. — Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, "Some S.F. teachers are ready to go back to the classroom. But they've been too scared to speak up until now," 6 Feb. 2021 MacGillis lays bare the extreme inequalities in distance learning, and the overall sense of fear and distrust (combined with the lack of leadership and guidance from the government) that paralyzed officials amid the debate of reopening schools. — Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, "Longreads Best of 2020: Investigative Reporting," 21 Dec. 2020 Warm up in colder climates with the brand’s great selection of tights and socks for under dresses, skirts and boots — or bare a bit more in the sun with Calzedona’s range of bikinis and cover-ups. — Krystin Arneson, CNN Underscored, "The best fashion and beauty deals to shop this Cyber Monday," 30 Nov. 2020 Warm up in colder climates with the brand’s great selection of tights and socks for under dresses, skirts and boots—or bare a bit more in the sun with Calzedona’s range of bikinis and cover-ups. — Krystin Arneson, CNN Underscored, "The best fashion and beauty deals to shop this Black Friday," 27 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bare.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Bare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare. Accessed 13 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for bare

bare

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of bare

(Entry 1 of 2)

: not having a covering

: not covered by clothing, shoes, a hat, etc.

: not covered by leaves, grass, trees, or plants

bare

verb

English Language Learners Definition of bare (Entry 2 of 2)

: to remove the covering from (something)

See the full definition for bare in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bare

adjective

\ ˈber

barer; barest

Kids Definition of bare

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : having no covering : naked bare feet The trees were bare of leaves.

2 : empty entry 1 sense 1 The cupboard was bare.

3 : having nothing left over or added : mere the bare necessities … Thorton was abreast of him and a bare half-dozen strokes away …— Jack London, The Call of the Wild

4 : bald sense 2 the bare facts

bare

verb

bared; baring

Kids Definition of bare (Entry 2 of 2)

: uncover sense 2