Synonyms of bear

bear 1 of 4

verb (1)

1

as in to have

to bring forth from the womb

luckily, she turned out to be able to bear children after all

Synonyms & Similar Words

• have
• produce
• deliver
• mother
• birth
• give birth to
• drop
• get
• reproduce
• spawn
• breed
• generate
• labor
• beget
• propagate
• multiply
• father
• sire
• kid
• litter
• kindle
• pup
• kitten
• whelp
• calve

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lose
• abort
• miscarry

2

as in to stand

to put up with (something painful or difficult)

I can't bear the thought of losing another loved one

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stand
• endure
• tolerate
• handle
• take
• accept
• sustain
• stomach
• abide
• absorb
• meet
• swallow
• stick out
• wear
• stand for
• countenance
• brook
• live with
• lump (it)
• support
• bide
• suffer
• go
• sweat out
• hack
• tough it out
• permit
• pocket
• allow
• reconcile (to)
• yield (to)
• submit (to)
• respect
• acquiesce
• capitulate
• agree (with or to)
• consent (to)
• assent (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refuse
• reject
• resist
• dismiss
• decline
• fight
• avoid
• repudiate
• oppose
• combat
• escape
• miss
• turn down
• contest
• evade
• spurn
• circumvent
• bypass
• refrain (from)
• elude
• dodge
• forbear
• abstain (from)

3

as in to relate

to have a relation or connection

I just found another fact that bears on this issue

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relate
• pertain
• apply
• refer
• affect
• interest
• appertain
• have to do with
• concern
• involve
• touch
• connect
• couple
• link
• deal (with)
• tie in
• associate
• treat
• interrelate

4

as in to head

to go on a specified course or in a certain direction

the road bears left after the second traffic light

Synonyms & Similar Words

• head
• turn
• make
• set out
• point
• put
• set off
• aim
• face
• steer
• direct
• veer
• bend
• put out
• take off
• back
• come about
• strike
• light out
• orient
• tack
• reverse
• turn back
• cut
• come round
• put about
• incline
• swerve
• wheel
• beeline
• yaw
• about-face

5

as in to carry

to hold up or serve as a foundation for

the wooden bridge will only bear one truck at a time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• carry
• sustain
• bolster
• support
• stay
• uphold
• underpin
• buttress
• shore (up)
• brace
• prop (up)
• undergird
• steady
• underlie
• truss

6

as in to hold

to keep in one's mind or heart

I'm not one to bear grudges

Synonyms & Similar Words

• have
• hold
• retain
• cherish
• entertain
• harbor
• keep
• carry
• nurse
• cultivate
• hold on to
• remember
• maintain
• hang on to
• sustain
• preserve
• foster
• treasure
• hug
• nurture
• stick (to)
• support
• cling (to)
• cleave (to)
• fixate (on or upon)
• brood (about or over)
• obsess (about or over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• ignore
• drop
• disregard
• refuse
• deny
• overlook
• neglect
• reject
• decline
• abandon
• repudiate
• scorn
• give up
• quit
• renounce
• forsake
• discard
• desert
• part (with)
• abjure
• disdain
• erase
• throw out
• expunge

7

as in to behave

to manage the actions of (oneself) in a particular way

she bore herself well in her first public speaking event

Synonyms & Similar Words

• carry
• behave
• acquit
• restrain
• handle
• conduct
• compose
• contain
• collect
• demean
• comport
• check
• control
• quit
• deport
• curb
• play
• temper
• constrain
• moderate
• repress
• quiet
• inhibit
• modulate
• act
• impersonate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• carry on
• misconduct
• cut up
• misbehave
• act up

8

as in to haul

to support and take from one place to another

the rescue team came bearing much-needed food and supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• carry
• haul
• bring
• transport
• ferry
• send
• convey
• pack
• lug
• tote
• deliver
• take
• cart
• ship
• forward
• transfer
• transmit
• fetch
• move
• remove
• hand over
• shift

9

as in to assume

to take to or upon oneself

I bear some responsibility for the mishap

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assume
• shoulder
• accept
• undertake
• take over
• embrace
• adopt
• take up
• stand by
• advocate
• back
• indorse
• uphold
• acquiesce
• endorse
• champion
• accede
• consent
• assent
• support
• agree
• espouse
• reaccept
• reassume

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• withdraw
• refuse
• repudiate
• disclaim
• take back
• disavow
• renounce
• disown
• avoid
• retract
• reject
• recant
• decline
• turn down
• abjure
• forbear
• refrain (from)
• spurn
• abstain (from)
• abandon
• relinquish
• forsake
• bypass
• give up
• surrender
• unsay
• detour
• back down
• backtrack
• back off
• abnegate

10

as in to pack

to wear or have on one's person

the right to bear arms

Synonyms & Similar Words

• carry
• pack
• sport
• exhibit
• display
• show off
• show
• flaunt
• parade

11

as in to lead

to be positioned along a certain course or in a certain direction

the path will bear north after that marked tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lead
• go
• run
• extend
• lie
• cross
• head
• cut
• pass
• course
• follow
• span
• traverse

12

as in to need

to have as a requirement

the violence in that country bears watching if the world wants to avoid a serious international conflict

Synonyms & Similar Words

• need
• require
• take
• want
• involve
• demand
• necessitate
• challenge
• call for
• claim
• warrant
• entail
• ask
• beg
• lack
• cry (for)
• insist
• hurt (for)
• stipulate
• exact
• quest
• enjoin
• clamor (for)
• command
• press

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• have
• hold
• possess
• own

13

as in to contain

to have within

gold-bearing ore

Synonyms & Similar Words

• contain
• hold
• boast
• house
• take
• fit
• encompass
• accommodate
• case
• enclose
• shelter
• inclose
• lodge
• harbor
• encase

14

as in to be

to occupy a place or location

a hot, humid air mass is now bearing just south of the Gulf Coast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• be
• stand
• sit
• lie
• remain
• wait
• reside
• rest
• stay
• await
• hang around
• station
• overlook
• dwell
• stick around
• post
• tarry
• command

15

as in to yield

to produce as revenue

an interest-bearing savings account

Synonyms & Similar Words

• yield
• pay
• give
• return
• provide
• supply
• furnish
• afford
• bring in
• net
• pay off

bear

2 of 4

noun

1

as in headache

a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work

the upcoming kitchen renovation sounds like a real bear

Synonyms & Similar Words

• headache
• job
• burden
• killer
• beast
• effort
• labor
• chore
• load
• strain
• trouble
• nuisance
• drudgery
• heavy lifting
• bother
• weight
• sweat
• grind
• lucubration

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breeze
• setup
• snap
• kid stuff
• cinch
• duck soup
• child's play

2

as in crab

an irritable and complaining person

you've been a real bear lately—are you having a bad week?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crab
• crank
• complainer
• hunks
• mutterer
• sourpuss
• curmudgeon
• grump
• growler
• kicker
• grouser
• murmurer
• fusser
• whiner
• croaker
• grumbler
• grouch
• griper
• crosspatch
• bellyacher
• party pooper
• sorehead
• killjoy
• spoilsport
• defeatist
• pessimist
• quibbler
• grinch
• crock
• faultfinder
• hypochondriac
• nitpicker
• malcontent
• objector
• nagger
• repiner

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• optimist
• Pollyanna
• happy camper

bear (down on)

3 of 4

verb (2)

as in to weigh (on or upon)

to push steadily against with some force

you need to bear down on that cap a bit to get it to latch tightly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weigh (on or upon)
• press
• shove
• compress
• depress
• lean (on or against)
• force
• punch
• squeeze
• compel
• muscle
• pressure
• squash
• thrust
• mash
• squish
• squoosh
• stuff
• compact
• propel
• wedge
• contract
• drive
• pack
• jam
• constrict
• condense
• crush
• wring
• scrunch
• cram
• jam-pack

bear down on

4 of 4

phrase

as in highlight

to indicate the importance of by centering attention on

Our manager bore down on the need to meet upcoming deadlines.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• highlight
• stress
• emphasize
• feature
• point (up)
• accent
• play up
• identify
• make much of
• foreground
• punctuate
• focus
• illuminate
• press
• accentuate
• promote
• pinpoint
• advertise
• spotlight
• publicize
• plug
• boost
• overplay

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tone (down)
• play down
• understate
• minimize
• underemphasize
• discount
• de-emphasize
• belittle
• disparage

Phrases Containing bear

• bear (down on)
• bear a hand
• bear down on
• bear fruit
• bear out
• bear up
• bear witness
• bring to bear