ALL meanings of bear off
bear off
B b - verb bear off (of a vessel) to avoid hitting an obstacle, another vessel, etc, by swerving onto a different course 3
- verb with object bear off to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof. 1
- verb with object bear off to hold or remain firm under (a load): The roof will not bear the strain of his weight. 1
- verb with object bear off to bring forth (young); give birth to: to bear a child. 1
- verb with object bear off to produce by natural growth: a tree that bears fruit. 1
- verb with object bear off to hold up under; be capable of: His claim doesn't bear close examination. 1
- verb with object bear off to press or push against: The crowd was borne back by the police. 1
- verb with object bear off to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.): to bear oneself erectly. 1
- verb with object bear off to conduct (oneself): to bear oneself bravely. 1
- noun bear off Since the latter part of the 18th century, a distinction has been made between born and borne as past participles of the verb bear1. Borne is the past participle in all senses that do not refer to physical birth: The wheatfields have borne abundantly this year. Judges have always borne a burden of responsibility. Borne is also the participle when the sense is “to bring forth (young)” and the focus is on the mother rather than on the child. In such cases, borne is preceded by a form of have or followed by by: Anna had borne a son the previous year. Two children borne by her earlier were already grown. When the focus is on the offspring or on something brought forth as if by birth, born is the standard spelling, and it occurs only in passive constructions: My friend was born in Ohio. No children have been born at the South Pole. A strange desire was born of the tragic experience. Born is also an adjective meaning “by birth,” “innate,” or “native”: born free; a born troublemaker; Mexican-born. 1
- verb with object bear off to suffer; endure; undergo: to bear the blame. 1
- verb with object bear off to sustain without yielding or suffering injury; tolerate (usually used in negative constructions, unless qualified): I can't bear your nagging. I can hardly bear to see her suffering so. 1
- verb with object bear off to be fit for or worthy of: It doesn't bear repeating. 1
- verb with object bear off to carry; bring: to bear gifts. 1
- verb with object bear off to carry in the mind or heart: to bear love; to bear malice. 1
- verb with object bear off to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.). 1
- verb with object bear off to render; afford; give: to bear witness; to bear testimony. 1
- verb with object bear off to lead; guide; take: They bore him home. 1
- verb with object bear off to have and be entitled to: to bear title. 1
- verb with object bear off to exhibit; show: to bear a resemblance. 1
- verb with object bear off to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear responsibility; to bear the cost. 1
- verb with object bear off to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively: the relation that price bears to profit. 1
- verb with object bear off to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear traces; to bear an inscription. 1
- verb with object bear off to have and use; exercise: to bear authority; to bear sway. 1
- verb without object bear off to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear west; to bear left at the fork in the road. 1
- verb without object bear off to be located or situated: The lighthouse bears due north. 1
- verb without object bear off to bring forth young or fruit: Next year the tree will bear. 1
- idioms bear off bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts. 1
- verb bear off To gain; to carry off, as a prize. 0
- verb bear off To restrain; to keep from approaching. 0
- verb bear off (nautical) To remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything. 0