go through: He was going through a very difficult time. COLLOCATIONS bear VERB
➊8
bear + noun : responsibility
➊ 9
bear + noun : relation, relationship, resemblance
bear|able /beə rəb ə l/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If something is bearable , you feel that you can accept it or deal with it. □ A cool breeze made the heat pleasantly bearable.
beard /b I ə r d/ (beards ) N‑COUNT A man's beard is the hair that grows on his chin and cheeks. □ He's decided to grow a beard.
beard|ed /b I ə r d I d/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A bearded man has a beard. □ …a bearded 40-year-old sociology professor.
bear|er /beə rə r / (bearers )
1 N‑COUNT The bearer of something such as a message is the person who brings it to you. □ [+ of ] I hate to be the bearer of bad news.
2 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] A bearer of a particular thing is a person who carries it, especially in a ceremony. [FORMAL ] □ …Britain's flag bearer at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
3 N‑COUNT The bearer of something such as a document, a right, or an official position is the person who possesses it or holds it. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the traditional bourgeois notion of the citizen as a bearer of rights. □ Spanish identity documents state the bearer's profession.
4 → see also pallbearer , standard bearer
bea r hug (bear hugs ) N‑COUNT A bear hug is a rather rough, tight, affectionate hug.
bear|ing ◆◇◇ /beə r I ŋ/ (bearings )
1 PHRASE If something has a bearing on a situation or event, it is relevant to it. □ Experts generally agree that diet has an important bearing on your general health. □ My father's achievements really don't have any bearing on what I do.
2 N‑SING [usu poss N ] Someone's bearing is the way in which they move or stand. [LITERARY ] □ She later wrote warmly of his bearing and behaviour.
3 N‑COUNT If you take a bearing with a compass, you use it to work out the direction in which a particular place lies or in which something is moving.
4 PHRASE If you get your bearings or find your bearings , you find out where you are or what you should do next. If you lose your bearings , you do not know where you are or what you should do next. □ A sightseeing tour of the city is included to help you get your bearings.
5 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Bearings are small metal balls that are placed between moving parts of a machine in order to make them move smoothly and easily over each other. □ An oil seal was replaced, along with both front wheel bearings.
6 → see also ball bearing
-bearing /-beər I ŋ/ COMB -bearing combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe things that hold the specified substance inside them. □ …oil-bearing rocks. □ …malaria-bearing mosquitos.
bear|ish /beə r I ʃ/ ADJ On the stock market, if there is a bearish mood, prices are expected to fall. Compare bullish . [BUSINESS ] □ Dealers said investors remain bearish.
bea r mar|ket (bear markets ) N‑COUNT A bear market is a situation on the stock market when people are selling a lot of shares because they expect that the shares will decrease in value and that they will be able to make a profit by buying them again after a short time. Compare bull market . [BUSINESS ]
bear|skin /beə r sk I n/ (bearskins )
1 N‑COUNT A bearskin is a tall fur hat that is worn by some British soldiers on ceremonial occasions.
2 N‑COUNT A bearskin is the skin and fur of a bear.
beast /biː st/ (beasts ) N‑COUNT You can refer to an animal as a beast , especially if it is a large, dangerous, or unusual one. [LITERARY ] □ …the threats our ancestors faced from wild beasts.
beast|ly /biː stli/
1 ADJ If you describe something as beastly , you mean that it is very unpleasant. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ]
2 ADJ If you describe someone as beastly , you mean that they are behaving unkindly. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ]
bea st of bu r|den (beasts of burden ) N‑COUNT A beast of burden is an animal such as an ox or a donkey that is used for carrying or pulling things.
beat ◆◆◆ /biː t/ (beats , beating , beaten ) The form beat is used in the present tense and is the past tense. 1 VERB If you beat someone or something, you hit them very hard. □ [V n] My sister tried to stop them and they beat her. □ [be V -ed + to ] They were beaten to death with baseball bats.
2 VERB To beat on , beat at , or beat against something means to hit it hard, usually several times or continuously for a period of time. □ [V + against ] There was dead silence but for a fly beating against the glass. □ [V + at ] Nina managed to free herself and began beating at the flames with a pillow. □ [V + on ] The rain was beating on the windowpanes. [Also V n] ● N‑SING Beat is also a noun. □ …the rhythmic beat of the surf. ● beat|ing N‑SING □ …the silence broken only by the beating of the rain.
3 VERB When your heart or pulse beats , it continually makes regular rhythmic movements. □ [V ] I felt my heart beating faster. ● N‑COUNT Beat is also a noun. □ He could hear the beat of his heart. □ Most people's pulse rate is more than 70 beats per minute. ● beat|ing N‑SING □ I could hear the beating of my heart.