What does "bearer" mean?
One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries.
Bearer
/ˈbɛəɹə/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries.
- Grammar: bearer is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: carrier, holder, advocate, alpenstock.
- Useful contrasts: named payee, receiver.
- Usage evidence: This check is payable to the bearer.
How to use "bearer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bearer" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bearer" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bearer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bearer" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bearer" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "carrier" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bearer", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries.
"And he [Solomon] set threescore and ten thousand of them [the foreigners living in Israel] to be bearers of burdens,"
- 2 someone whose employment involves carrying something wordnet
- 3 Someone who helps carry the coffin or a dead body during a funeral procession.
"Nay, quoth he, on his swooning bed outstretch’d, If I may not carry, sure Ile ne’re be fetch’d, But vow though the cross Doctors all stood hearers, For one Carrier put down to make six bearers."
- 4 the person who is in possession of a check or note or bond or document of title that is endorsed to them or to whoever holds it wordnet
- 5 One who possesses a cheque, bond, or other notes promising payment.
"I promise to pay the bearer on demand."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a messenger who bears or presents wordnet
- 7 A person employed or engaged to carry equipment on a safari, expedition, etc.
- 8 one of the mourners carrying the coffin at a funeral wordnet
- 9 A person employed to carry a palanquin or litter.
"Within an hour of our finally deciding to start five litters were brought up to the door of the cave, each accompanied by four regular bearers and two spare hands, also a band of about fifty armed Amahagger, who were to form the escort and carry the baggage."
- 10 A domestic servant in charge of household goods and clothing; a valet. India, dated
"The bar of the watch-guard worked through the buttonhole, and the watch—Platte's watch—slid quietly on to the carpet; where the bearer found it next morning and kept it."
- 11 A waiter in a hotel or restaurant. India
- 12 A tree or plant yielding fruit.
"a good bearer"
- 13 Someone who delivers a letter or message on behalf of another (especially as referred to in the letter or message). dated
"[…] Wilt thou know Th’ effect of what I wrote? […] An earnest conjuration from the King, As England was his faithful tributary, […] That, on the view and knowing of these contents, Without debatement further, more or less, He should the bearers put to sudden death,"
- 14 A strip of reglet or other furniture to bear off the impression from a blank page.
- 15 A type or type-high piece of metal interspersed in blank parts to support the plate when it is shaved.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation.
Antonyms
named payeereceiver
Example
"This check is payable to the bearer."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bearer"?
Common synonyms include: carrier, holder, advocate, alpenstock, aquarius, arm.
How do you use "bearer" in a sentence?
This check is payable to the bearer.
How do you pronounce "bearer"?
Pronounced /ˈbɛəɹə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English berer, berere, from Old English berere (attested in Old English wæterberere (“waterbearer”)), equivalent to bear + -er.
Etymology 2
Possibly an occupational surname for a carrier or porter, from Middle English berere, but no evidence has been found that this surname became hereditary. Alternatively, it could be a variant of other surnames, such as Berrier, Berrow, or Berard.