Bear With Me | Meaning & Example Sentences
Bear with me is an expression meaning ‘be patient with me’. It’s typically used along with a conjunction (e.g., ‘as’ or ‘while’) to explain why you’re asking for patience. It can also be used by itself when the reason is already known.
Our operating system is down at the moment. Can you bear with me as I fill out the form manually?
Our restaurant is very busy this evening; please bear with me while I try to find you a table.
Bear with me or bare with me
‘Bare with me’ is often mistakenly used instead of bear with me, but it’s incorrect and should be avoided.
‘Bear’ is used as a verb meaning ‘carry’ or ‘endure’ in this expression (not as a noun referring to the animal). ‘Bare’ is usually an adjective; it can also function as a verb meaning ‘uncover’, but that wouldn’t make sense in this expression.
- You’ll have to bare with me while I try to fix the problem.
- You’ll have to bear with me while I try to fix the problem.
Please bear with me
Please bear with me has the same meaning as the basic phrase, but it’s more polite. Another way to soften the phrase is to formulate it as a question, potentially also with ‘please’.
Could you bear with me for a moment, please?
Bearing with me
Bearing with me is a version of the phrase with the participle ‘bearing’. It occurs, for example, when you’re thanking someone for their patience or referring to the action in general (rather than in the imperative).
After bearing with me for a moment, you’ll be able to access your account.
Bear with us
The phrase can also become the plural bear with us when the speaker represents a group or organisation.
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Confused words
Definitions
US vs. UK spellings
Frequently asked questions
- What does ‘please bear with me’ mean?
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Please bear with me is a more polite version of the expression bear with me, meaning ‘have patience with me’.
It’s typically used along with a conjunction (e.g., ‘while’), to explain why you’re asking for patience (e.g., ‘please bear with me while I try to find the correct file’).
Scribbr’s Free Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like ‘bear with me’ correctly in your writing.
Note Bear and bare are often confused, but in this case, ‘bear with me’ is the only correct spelling. - What is a synonym of ‘bear with me’?
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Some synonyms for bear with me include:
- (Please) be patient
- (Please) hold on
- Just a moment
- (Please) stand by
- (Please) wait
Scribbr’s Paraphrasing Tool can help you find even more synonyms for ‘bear with me’.
Note Bear and bare are often confused, but in this case, ‘bear with me’ is the only correct spelling. - What does ‘bare with me’ mean?
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‘Bare with me’ is a common misspelling of the phrase bear with me. While ‘bare’ can be used as a verb meaning ‘uncover’, it doesn’t make sense in this phrase. The verb you need is ‘bear’, meaning ‘carry’ or ‘endure’.
Scribbr’s Free Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like ‘bear with me’ correctly in your writing.
Note
If you confuse bear and bare, check out our article on the two commonly confused words.
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Ryan, E. (2023, February 06). Bear With Me | Meaning & Example Sentences. Scribbr. Retrieved 10 February 2025, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/definition/bear-with-me-meaning/
