Bear or bull?
bear is a noun meaning “A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or…”; bull is a noun meaning “Any bovine of an aggressive or long-horned breed regardless of age and sex”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) bear is about 2.3 times as common as bull.
What is the difference between bear and bull?
| bear | bull | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb, adjective | noun, adjective, verb |
| Meaning | A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous) of the family Ursidae; having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and… The meat of this animal To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in | Specifically, one that is uncastrated Any bovine of an aggressive or long-horned breed regardless of age and sex Large and strong, like a bull |
| Example | We had barbecued bear for dinner | a bull elephant |
| Forms | bears | bulls |
| Pronunciation | /bɛə/ /bɛː/ /bɪə/ | /bʊl/ /bʉl/ |
| In writing | 51 times per million words | 22 times per million words |
Sources: bear and bull in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of bear and bull
bear
- 1
A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous) of the family Ursidae; having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet
- 2
To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in
to bear a railroad stock
- 3
Characterized by declining prices in securities markets or by belief that the prices will fall
The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors
- 4
To carry or convey, literally or figuratively
They came bearing gifts
- 5
Alternative spelling of bere (“barley”)
There are several plots of those species of barley called big, which is six-rowed barley; or bear, which is four-rowed, cultivated
- 6
Alternative spelling of bere (“pillowcase”)
I give to my Grand Child Lidea Carpenter the Coverlid that her mother spun and my pillow bear and a pint Cup & my great Pott that belongs to the Pott and Trammels
- 7
The meat of this animal
We had barbecued bear for dinner
- 8
To carry (weapons, flags or symbols of rank, office, etc.) upon one's person, especially visibly; to be equipped with (weapons, etc.)
the right to bear arms
bull
- 1
Specifically, one that is uncastrated
- 2
Large and strong, like a bull
- 3
To force oneself (in a particular direction); to move aggressively
He bulled his way in
- 4
A papal bull, an official document or edict from the Pope
- 5
datedTo publish in a papal bull
- 6
A lie
- 7
To mock; to cheat
- 8
Any bovine of an aggressive or long-horned breed regardless of age and sex
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, bear or bull?
bear appears 51 times per million words; bull 22 times per million words.
bear 51 times per million wordsbull 22 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search bear vs bull?
“bear vs bull” is searched about 2,900 times a month on Google and 70 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“bull vs bear”, “bear or bull”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.