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Word of the Day
bear
Perhaps the most common use for the word “bear” is in describing an animal that looks like this:
But did you know that the word “bear” is also a verb? As a verb, “bear” means to tolerate (or accept) something that is difficult, or you can use it when describing an amount of weight that something can support.
- My tooth hurts so much, I can’t bear the pain. (I can’t tolerate the pain.)
- How do you bear working with difficult customers all day?
- Reema couldn’t bear living with her husband any longer, so she divorced him.
- The wall is bearing a lot of weight for the house. (The wall is supporting a lot of weight.)
- She bears the weight of her responsibilities very well.
It’s worth noting that the word “bear” is also used when describing birth, but it’s usually used in the passive voice:
| simple | past | past participle |
|---|---|---|
bear | bore | born |
- A: Where were you born?
- B: I was born in France.
- A: What year were you born?
- B: I was born in 1973.
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