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

To explain these distortions, experts speculate that the figures served as fertility talismans—designed to maximize those parts of the body that evolution has encoded us to see as signs of optimal child-bearers. —Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025

And Mamdani is going to be one of the left’s standard bearers. —David Remnick, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. —Stephanie Wenger, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025

Sorry to be the bearer of good news, what with sports fans here always wary of the next SD-logo’d anvil falling out of the sky. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 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