Difference Between Bear and Bare

The words ‘bear’ and ‘bare’ are homonyms which are pronounced exactly similar, but they are spelt differently and also differs in their meanings. While the word ‘bear’ has multiple meanings, ‘bare’ has only one meaning. When something is not properly clothed or covered, we mean ‘bare‘.

On the other hand, ‘bear‘ usually refers to tolerate or carry something. Let’s have a look at the examples given below:

• If you touch the wire with bare hands, when the switch is on, you have to bear the electric shock.
• I can’t bear running with bare feet.

From the above examples, you might have observed that the word ‘bear’ and ‘bare’ are used at different places. While the word bare means naked in both the cases, bear means to handle or tolerate.

Content: Bear Vs Bare

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Examples
5. How to remember the difference

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Bear	Bare
Meaning	Bear has two meanings, i.e. either it refers to an animal or it means to carry or tolerate something.	Bare refers to something that lacks usual covering, i.e. naked, exposed to view or reveal.
Part of speech	Noun and Verb	Adjective and Verb
Verb	Irregular verb	Regular verb
Examples	I saw a brown bear rubbing himself against the tree.	One should wear loose clothes and bare feet to exercise.
	Joe can't bear the sight of trees being cut off.	He cleaned the floor with bare hands.
	The man bore all the hardships, just to get successful.	Kate bared her teeth and laughed at the joke.

Definition of Bear

The word ‘bear’ can be used in two ways, i.e. firstly it can be used as a noun which refers to a wild furry omnivores mammal having a short tail, that moves on the sole of its feet.

Secondly, it can be used as a verb to mean carry, tolerate or endure something, which is not at all pleasant or you don’t like it. It is an irregular verb whose simple past and past participle form is the bore and borne respectively. Let’s have a look at the points presented below to understand its usage:

As a noun

1. It refers to a large wild animal, belonging to the dog family:
   • I saw a bear going that way in the jungle.
   • My little cousin loves to play with teddy bears.

As a verb

1. It means to carry, support or tolerate:
   • Please tell me about your results, I can’t bear the suspense.
   • He can’t bear to see his mother crying.
   • Make the food as spicy as you can bear.
2. To have something:
   • The actress bears a clear resemblance to my friend.
   • The incident bears all the cues of murder.
3. To hold or support:
   • The carry bag is too thin to bear the weight of 1 kg potatoes.
4. To be called by a name or title:
   • Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel bore the title – The Iron Man of India.
5. To give birth to or deliver:
   • The banana tree which we planted two years back, will bear fruit this year.
   • The cow bore six puppies last month.
6. Carry oneself:
   • The bride bore herself with grace on her wedding day.
7. To take responsibility for something:
   • The manager was entitled to bear the responsibility of his men.
8. To pay for something:
   • According to the contract, the buyer has to bear the expense, in case of an accident.

Definition of Bare

The word ‘bare’ is used for indicating something which is open to view i.e. without cover, clothing i.e. naked, exposed. It may also refer to something that is without any addition, i.e. straightforward, plain or basic. Let’s look at the points below to understand its meaning:

As an adjective

1. It refers to uncovered:
   • He bared his knee infront of the doctor to show his injury due to the accident.
   • Don’t touch the microwave oven with bare hands, when it is switched on.
2. It also indicates simple and plain:
   • I just asked for bare details of the function.
   • The author highlighted the bare facts of the incident.
3. It may also mean empty:
   • You can keep your personal stuff in the bare drawer.
4. Mere:
   • The destination is bare two kilometres away.

As a verb:

1. It refers to expose or uncover something:
   • The students are asked to bare their feet, as they entered the computer lab.

As an adverb or determiner:

1. It may mean very much, a lot of or a large number of:
   • The newly hired employee has bare tasks to perform.
   • You are bare stubborn.

Examples

Bear

• You can find Polar bears at the North Pole.
• Ali can’t bear to see her mom in pain.
• Every new legal tender issued by the central bank bears the signature of Governor.

Bare

• The hotel’s room was clean and bare.
• When I saw the accident I rushed to the ground with bare feet and injured.
• The resolution passed at the meeting by a bare majority.

How to remember the difference

A tip to use the words bear and bare correctly in sentences is that, if you want an adjective, related to uncovering use ‘bare’ whereas if you require a verb related to carrying or supporting, use ‘bear’.