Word.ws English Dictionary

bearleader

Syllables: bear·lead·er/ˈbɛəˌliːdə/US/ˈbɛəɹˌlidəɹ/

bearleader noun: someone who handles and keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments such as bearbaiting or dancing displays; a bearward.

bearleader: someone who handles and keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments such as...
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Noun

bearleader (plural bearleaders)

  1. (historical) Someone who handles and keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments such as bearbaiting or dancing displays; a bearward.
    Synonyms:
    bearherd, bear warden
  2. (broadly, historical) Someone acting as a chaperone and tutor to a wealthy young man travelling abroad, especially in Europe.
    • So!—you have really undertaken the delightful office of bear-leader—becauſe the brother of your Geraldine cannot take care of himſelf— […]1792, Charlotte Smith, “Letter II. To Mr. Desmond.”, in Desmond. […], volume I, London: […] G[eorge,] G[eorge,] J[ohn] and J[ames] Robinson, […], →OCLC, page 13
    • They pounced upon the stray nobility, and seized young lords travelling with their bear leaders.1846 February 28 – 1847 February 27, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, “On Some Respectable Snobs”, in The Book of Snobs, London: Punch Office, […], published 1848, →OCLC, pages 29-30
  3. (broadly, historical, humorous, obsolete, rare) A captor; also, a guard, a jailer.
    • My bear-leaders were considerably surprised with my firmness, but seemed to think it beneath them to contest with me the principles I delivered. […] They left me abruptly; having first ordered an old man, the father of the landlady, to stay in the room with me while they were absent.1794, William Godwin, chapter VI, in Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams. […], volume III, London: […] B. Crosby, […], →OCLC, page 114

bearleader meaning in Arabic

bearleader in Arabic

someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
جُعَيْدِيّ juʕaydiyy

Synonyms of bearleader

Forms of bearleader

pluralbearleaders
alternative formbear-leader
alternative formbear leader

Origin of bearleader

From bear + leader.

Questions about bearleader

What does bearleader mean?
Bearleader means someone who handles and keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments such as bearbaiting or dancing displays; a bearward.
What is bearleader in Arabic?
Bearleader in Arabic is جُعَيْدِيّ (juʕaydiyy). See Bearleader meaning in Arabic.
What part of speech is bearleader?
Bearleader is a noun.
How do you pronounce bearleader?
Bearleader is pronounced /ˈbɛəˌliːdə/ (UK).
What is the plural of bearleader?
The plural of bearleader is bearleaders.

Words near bearleader in the dictionary

  1. bearings
  2. bearish
  3. bearishly
  4. bearishness
  5. bearkind
  6. bearleader
  7. bearleaders
  8. bearleap
  9. bearleaps
  10. bearless
  11. bearlessness

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: bearleader (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-bearleader.wav.

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