1bear 
/ˈbeɚ/ noun
plural bear or bears /ˈbeɚ/ noun [count] 1 : any one of a group of large and heavy animals that have thick hair and sharp claws and that can stand on two legs like a person
▪ a mother bear and her cubs — sometimes used figuratively to describe a large man ▪ a tall, friendly bear of a man ▪ My father can be a grumpy old bear when he's tired. ◊In informal British English, a person who becomes angry or annoyed very easily is (like) a bear with a sore head.
▪ My father can be like a bear with a sore head when he's tired. — see also black bear, grizzly bear, polar bear, teddy bear 2 finance : a person who expects the price of stocks to go down and who sells them to avoid losing money
▪ The bears outnumbered the bulls on Wall Street today. — compare 1bull; see also bear market 3 US, informal : something that is difficult to do or deal with
▪ This oven is a bear to clean. [=this oven is very hard to clean]
▪ a mother bear and her cubs — sometimes used figuratively to describe a large man ▪ a tall, friendly bear of a man ▪ My father can be a grumpy old bear when he's tired. ◊In informal British English, a person who becomes angry or annoyed very easily is (like) a bear with a sore head.
▪ My father can be like a bear with a sore head when he's tired. — see also black bear, grizzly bear, polar bear, teddy bear
▪ The bears outnumbered the bulls on Wall Street today. — compare 1bull; see also bear market
▪ This oven is a bear to clean. [=this oven is very hard to clean]
loaded for bear — see loaded
