bearer

noun

bear·​er ˈber-ər 

: one that bears: such as

a

: porter sense 1

b

: a plant yielding fruit

c

: pallbearer

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

Anyone aiming to be the party’s standard bearer needs to act like it now—by supporting down-ballot candidates, organizing with state parties, raising money, recruiting talent, and showing up for the fights that matter. —John McCarthy, Time, 13 Aug. 2025

What might more readily bring about a crisis of identity than the physical alteration of the body, the change from bearer of life to barren woman? —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025

So when the owners of Telescope Pictures, the sole bearer of the 75-year-old Ocean City tradition, asked the council for help staying afloat, the council had no hesitation in lending a hand. —Brendan Nordstrom, Baltimore Sun, 25 July 2025

The piece was crafted in the 1930s for Mary, Duchess of Roxburgh, who served as a canopy bearer at the 1937 coronation of Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and King George VI. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bearer

• color-bearer
• live-bearer
• ring bearer
• standard-bearer

Rhymes for bearer

• carer
• error
• fairer
• ferrer
• rarer
• sharer
• terror
• wearer
• cupbearer
• declarer
• preparer
• repairer

Kids 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