Make Your Editor Cry: Bare vs. Bear

Make Your Editor Cry:  Bare vs. Bear

Bare means naked, but to bear is to carry something. A bear is also a black, white, or brown furry animal, but most people don’t confuse that one.

To bear is to carry or endure, whether by physical or mental force. If you can bear to read on, you’ll find out all the different ways to use the word bear. If you can’t bear to be naked, you can’t stand to be bare. Bear is to put up with or carry something, like a burden or a baby, or both. It’s spelled just like the animal. Grin and bear it means to smile during a storm, not to smile and disrobe. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution mentions the right to bear arms, and it has nothing to do with nudity. If a tree bears fruit, you’re in luck.

To bare is to uncover, either by removing clothes or revealing something. When you kick off your shoes to walk on the beach, you are enjoying the feeling of your bare feet in the warm sand. The adjective bare describes something or someone that is naked or unclothed. You can also bare your soul. You can bare your teeth for various reasons. It’s getting down to the bare bones. Bare-knuckled (note the hyphen) or barehanded (note the lack of a hyphen) means the gloves have come off. Don’t walk near broken glass in bare feet, though bare feet may be appropriate in the kitchen especially if one is pregnant.

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