bear in mind

Mastering “Bear In Mind”: Understanding its Meaning and Correct Spelling

Vocabulary / By

“Bare” means something that is naked, minimal, or lacking in supplies. It is used to describe the absence of something. Example: “The room was bare, with no furniture.”

“Bear” has several meanings. It can refer to the ursine mammal, carrying something, accepting and putting up with an unpleasant experience, or having a particular characteristic. Examples: “I saw a bear in the forest.” “He bore the weight of the package.” “She bore the news with stoicism.” “The tree bore fruit.”

“Bear in mind” is a phrase that means to keep something in mind, to remember it. It has nothing to do with the word “bare.”

Which Is The Correct Spelling?

The phrase is correctly written as “bear in mind,” though many, many people confuse it with “bare in mind.”

Let’s look at some correct examples:

  • “Please bear in mind that the deadline for the project is next week.”
  • “I need you to bear in mind that this is a sensitive topic and should be handled with care.”
  • “When making a decision, always bear in mind the potential consequences”
  • “Bear in mind that this new policy will affect everyone in the company.”
  • “As you plan your trip, bear in mind that certain attractions may be closed on certain days.”

The word “bare” means something that is naked, minimal or lacking in supplies. It doesn’t have any other meanings, so you can’t “bare with” somebody, or “bare” something in mind. It is only to be used when there is an absence of something.

The word “bear” is slightly more complicated and has several meanings. It is used to refer to the big, clawed ursine family we are all so familiar with, but it also refers to carrying something. It can refer to accepting and putting up with an unpleasant experience or having a particular characteristic.

You can bear a cost, bear a responsibility, bear a child, and bear an emotion. A tree can bear fruit. You can bear yourself with poise, or bear left to change direction.

Most of these meanings have a connotation with the concept of carrying something, but they’re probably where the confusion comes in; there are so many potential uses for this word.

So Why Is It “Bear In Mind,” Not “Bare In Mind”?

If you said “bare in mind,” it could be roughly translated to “naked in mind.” That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you want an idea to be naked in your mind? What does it mean?

If you use the phrase “bear in mind,” you are literally asking somebody to carry something in their minds, to keep it in their thoughts, and – in other words – remember it. You aren’t asking them to keep an actual bear in their head, but simply to carry the idea with them and not forget about it.

If it helps you remember it, you can think about not undressing your thoughts, but carrying them with you as you would if you “bear” arms or “bear” a burden. Hopefully, that will make it easier to remember!

Common idiomatic examples with “To Bear”

“Bear with me” – to be patient and tolerant with someone
“Bear the weight of the world” – to carry a heavy burden or responsibility
“Bear a grudge” – to hold a strong resentment or anger towards someone
“Bear fruit” – to produce a desired result or outcome
“Bear the brunt of” – to suffer the most severe effects of something
“Bear arms” – to carry weapons as part of a military force
“Bear resemblance” – to look similar to something or someone
“Bear the cost” – to pay the expense of something
“Bear left/right” – to turn in a certain direction while driving or navigating
“Bear witness” – to give testimony or evidence in a legal setting

Key takeaways:

  • “Bear in mind” is correctly spelled with the word “bear,” not “bare.”
  • “Bear” has several meanings, including referring to the ursine mammal, carrying something, accepting and putting up with an unpleasant experience, or having a particular characteristic.
  • “Bare” means something that is naked, minimal, or lacking in supplies, used to describe an absence of something.
  • “Bear in mind” means to keep something in mind, to remember it.
Conor
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