bear

A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous), having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of the family Ursidae.

A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous), having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet; a member of the family Ursidae.

We had barbecued bear for dinner.

A rough, unmannerly, uncouth person.

One evening about this time, when his Lordship did me the honour to sup at my lodgings with Dr. Robertson and several other men of literary distinction, he regretted that Johnson had not been educated with more refinement, and lived more in polished society. 'No, no, my Lord, (said Signor Baretti,) do with him what you would, he would always have been a bear.'

An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices.

This accompt has been made to appear a bull accompt, i.e. that the bulls cannot take their stock. The fact is the reverse; it is a bear accompt, but the bears, unable to deliver their stock, have conjointly banged the market, and pocketed the tickets, to defeat the rise and loss that would have ensued to them by their buying on a rising price on the accompt day […]

A state policeman (short for Smokey Bear).

By the time we got into Tulsa Town We had eighty-five trucks in all But there's a roadblock up on the cloverleaf And them bears was wall-to-wall. Yeah, them smokies is thick as bugs on a bumper They even had a bear in the air. I says, "Callin' all trucks, this here's the Duck. We about to go a-huntin' bear."

'The bear's pulling somebody off there at 74,' reported someone else.

To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in.

to bear a railroad stock

to bear the market

Characterized by declining prices in securities markets or by belief that the prices will fall.

The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.