Meaning & use
bear your heart
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To reveal your deepest feelings or secrets to someone, especially in a trusting or romantic way.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase with a possessive adjective (your, his, her, etc.) before 'heart': 'She bore her heart to him.'
Patterns
- bear your heart to someone
After months of silence, he finally bore his heart to her and told her he loved her.
It takes courage to bear your heart to a friend and admit you are struggling.
She bore her heart in a long letter, explaining all her fears and hopes.
Common combinations
- bear your heart to someone
- He was afraid to bear his heart to his father.
- finally bear your heart
- After the argument, she finally bore her heart and apologized.
- bear your heart in a letter
- He bore his heart in a letter that he never sent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- confide
- Confide is more general and can be used for any secret; 'bear your heart' is more emotional and often romantic.
- open up
- Open up is informal and means to start talking about feelings; 'bear your heart' suggests a deeper, more complete revelation.
Opposites
Word family
- heartbearing noun
- Rare; the act of revealing one's feelings.
Commonly confused: bear your heart or bare your heart?
bear your heart vs bare your heart
'Bare your heart' is a variant spelling that is also used, but 'bear' is more common in this idiom. 'Bare' means to uncover, which also fits.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition is 'to' because you reveal your feelings to a person. 'At' suggests direction, 'for' suggests purpose, and 'with' suggests accompaniment, none of which fit this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bear your heart”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.