Standard Lemma guide

bearleader

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbɛəˌliːdə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈbɛəɹˌlidəɹ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bearherd, bear warden

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone acting as a chaperone and tutor to a wealthy young man travelling abroad, especially in Europe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A captor; also, a guard, a jailer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, historical, humorous, obsolete, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From bear + leader.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: جعيدي — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • Finnish: karhun hoitaja — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • German: Bärenführer — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • German: Bärenleiter — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • Middle Low German: bārenlēder — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • Macedonian: мечкар (mečkar) — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • Russian: вожа́к медве́дя (vožák medvédja) — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • Welsh: canlynwr arth — someone who handles or keeps bears, especially for use in public entertainments
  • Finnish: valvoja — someone acting as a chaperone and tutor to a wealthy young man travelling abroad — see also chaperone
  • Finnish: kaitsija — someone acting as a chaperone and tutor to a wealthy young man travelling abroad — see also chaperone
  • Turkish: ayı lideri — someone acting as a chaperone and tutor to a wealthy young man travelling abroad — see also chaperone