Meaning & use
bearding
Last updated
“bearding” is a form of “beard”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveliteraryfigurative
Confronting a powerful or intimidating person boldly in their own territory.
Grammar: Takes an object: bearding the manager.
Patterns
- bearding someone in their den
She is bearding the director in his office to demand an answer.
Reporters kept bearding the minister outside parliament.
He admired her for bearding the board about the cuts.
verbtransitiveslang
In slang, using a partner or friend as a cover to hide one's real relationship or identity.
Grammar: Takes an object: bearding someone.
Patterns
- bearding someone
Some celebrities were accused of bearding to hide their relationships.
He suspected she was bearding him for appearances.
Bearding is an old trick in the entertainment industry.
Word forms
| base form | beard |
|---|---|
| third person singular | beards |
| past tense | bearded |
| past participle | bearded |
Common combinations
- beard the lion in his den
- He bearded the lion in his den by visiting the CEO.
- beard someone
- She bearded the mayor on the town hall steps.
- bearding the boss
- He was bearding the boss at the end of the meeting.
- bearded and challenged
- He bearded and challenged the council.
- bearding the press
- The politician avoided bearding the press.
Synonyms and how they differ
- confronting
- Confronting is the plain modern word, while bearding feels literary and implies courage in the other person's own space.
- defying
- Defying means openly disobeying, whereas bearding means facing someone directly.
- challenging
- Challenging questions someone's claims or authority, while bearding stresses the bold approach.
- facing
- Facing is neutral and can be reluctant, while bearding implies boldness.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bearding or bearing?
bearding vs bearing
Bearing means carrying or enduring, while bearding is facing someone boldly.
Practice
The reporter surprised everyone by ____ the senator in the corridor to ask about the scandal.
Choose one answer.
Bearding means boldly confronting someone. Bearing means carrying, boarding means entering a vehicle, and burying is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bearding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.