Synonyms of bear

bear 1 of 2

verb

ˈber 

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
• 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
• 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 2

noun

ˈber 

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
• mutterer
• hunks
• sourpuss
• curmudgeon
• grump
• growler
• kicker
• grouser
• murmurer
• fusser
• whiner
• 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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb bear differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bear are abide, endure, stand, suffer, and tolerate. While all these words mean "to put up with something trying or painful," bear usually implies the power to sustain without flinching or breaking.

forced to bear a tragic loss

In what contexts can abide take the place of bear?

While the synonyms abide and bear are close in meaning, abide suggests acceptance without resistance or protest.

cannot abide their rudeness

When might endure be a better fit than bear?

While in some cases nearly identical to bear, endure implies continuing firm or resolute through trials and difficulties.

endured years of rejection

Where would stand be a reasonable alternative to bear?

In some situations, the words stand and bear are roughly equivalent. However, stand emphasizes even more strongly the ability to bear without discomposure or flinching.

unable to stand teasing

When is suffer a more appropriate choice than bear?

The words suffer and bear are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, suffer often suggests acceptance or passivity rather than courage or patience in bearing.

suffering many insults

When can tolerate be used instead of bear?

Although the words tolerate and bear have much in common, tolerate suggests overcoming or successfully controlling an impulse to resist, avoid, or resent something injurious or distasteful.

refused to tolerate such treatment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bear

Verb

Indeed, the trillion-dollar Belt & Road Initiative is in large part a defensive maneuver, born of a desire to reduce China’s susceptibility to maritime threats from the US by looking inland to the vast Eurasia continent. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Jean Nouvel’s otherworldly collection of interlocking disks seems born of geometry and desert winds rather than petals. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Noun

No bear surrogate, in other words, is as good as an actual bear. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026

Russia’s bear population has more than doubled to over 300,000 in about three decades, leading authorities to urgently seek new authority to curtail the bear surge, according to the independent news outlet Meduza. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing bear

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